Diploma in Nursing Admission Test Question Solution 2023.pdf
Choosing proper sources
1. RESEARCH 101
This is a self-paced tutorial to provide you with the necessary
skills to find and use information and to evaluate and use it
wisely for writing research papers and essays.
You will learn to answer this question:
1. Where should I look for sources?
2. Choosing proper sources
• Now that you have defined your topic, you are ready to
start gathering information.
• After completing this section you will be able to:
• Identify types of information available
• Understand how information is created
• Determine which types of information could be
useful for your assignment
3. Types of information
Click on a type to explore it’s characteristics, advantages and limitations
• Encyclopedias
• Books
• Academic Journals
• Magazines and Newspapers
• Web Sites
4. Encyclopedias
Characteristics:
- Provides context for a topic through introductory overviews
- Information on concepts, people, places, events
- General encyclopedias cover a broad range of areas
- Subject encyclopedias provide introductory to in-depth information on a
specific subject
Advantages:
- Helpful starting point for assignments
- Generate ideas for assignments
- Subject encyclopedias attempt to cover various ideas with a particular
field
- Contain useful bibliographies with additional resources
Limitations:
- Not as current as articles
- Does not provide in-depth information and should not be used as the only
source for an assignment
5. Example: Your topic is Feminism
You can start by looking in the Encyclopedia Britannica
to get some broad ideas. Then for more in-depth
information you can try a subject encyclopedia such as:
Encyclopedia of Women and Gender
Encyclopedia of Women’s History in America
6. Books
Characteristics:
- Usually provide overviews from general to specific
- Incorporates an author’s or other’s theory of a topic
Advantages:
- Authoritative and detailed source
- Provides in-depth treatment of a subject
- Table of contents and index can help focus research on a particular
section
- Bibliographies point to more sources of information
Limitations:
- Content and information may not be as current as articles
- May contain too much information to process for the assignment
7. Academic Journals
Characteristics:
- Purpose is to report on current research conducted by professional
- In-depth articles cover specific issues or research questions
- Language and content is geared toward other professionals
- Uses tables and graphs to support information
- Contain bibliographies for additional sources of information
- Peer reviewed (articles submitted to publishers are reviewed by
experts or peers that evaluate the work based on originality,
quality, and currency)
Advantages:
- Information is more current than books or encyclopedias
- Information is accurate and reliable
- Bibliographies point to information used to support article
Limitations:
- History of topic is usually not presented
- Articles may cover only one aspect of your assignment topic
8. How do I know if its an academic journal?
- Make sure the author’s name and credentials
(degree, university) are clearly stated.
- When using a database, look for a limit feature
that lets you search for academic journals only.
9. We have paper copies of these journal available:
Journal of AHIMA
Journal of the American Medical Association
Oriental Medicine Journal
And many more titles available on databases:
Journal of Business & Psychology
Women in Business
Journal of Contemporary Criminal Justice
And Hundreds More!
10. Magazines and Newspapers
Characteristics
Purpose is to inform and entertain.
The content and language is geared toward a general audience
Articles are short, written by journalists (not experts) and use photographs
Advantages
Good for generating ideas on issues and learning about current events
Newspapers are good for tracking events as they happen
Provide coverage for government and business news
Limitations
Present a non-academic perspective
Authors are not experts
Usually do not include bibliographies
11. Examples
Magazines:
Time
Newsweek
National Geographic
The Economist
Vogue
Newspapers:
Chicago Tribune
Wall Street Journal
New York Times
12. Websites
Characteristics
Offer immediate access to current information
“Publishers” are varied and can be anyone
Information on wealth of topics
Easy to access and use
Powerful marketing tool
Advantages
Good for certain types of information: news, government associations and
documents, current events, quick facts, travel and maps, culture information
business products, shopping, opinions
Limitations
Not everything is on Google
Information overload – too many websites to sift through to find information
Authority, reliability, accuracy, currency all need to be evaluated
Not everything is free
Advertisements and website sponsors can lead to biased information
13. Tip:
For some types of information the web is great.
Organizations, Associations, and Publishers can be trustworthy places to
find resources for your assignment.
However – many websites are created by anonymous authors and can
provide questionable or even wrong information.
To make best use of the internet always evaluate the quality of what you
find.
14. Selecting your sources
• Understanding the types of sources can help determine
which ones to use when looking for specific information.
• If you want:
• General Overview try a general or subject encyclopedia
• Specific definition try a general or subject dictionary
• Timeline of event try looking at newspapers or the internet
• Results of opinion polls try searching magazines, newspapers, and
the internet
• Reliable data to strengthen an argument you present in a paper, the
best resources are academic journals, books, and other detailed
information
15. Example: Your research question is: Does education in prisons
play a role in reducing recidivism?
You have already read entries in encyclopedias and
identified books that relate to the topic using the library’s
OASIS catalog.
You now need more current research-focused information –
you need academic articles.
Did you know there is a Journal of Correctional Education
available via the EBSCO database with articles such as:
“The Hope Bridge Program: Addressing Recidivism
Through Education and Employment.”
16. How is information created?
• Knowing how information is created can help you know
where to look.
• Any event triggers an information cycle
• Beginning with immediate coverage on television, the internet, and
radio.
• Newspapers and magazines provide coverage in the following days and
weeks.
• As time goes by, additional information appears in academic journals
and books.
17. The events of September 11, 2001 provide a useful illustration of an information
cycle:
Same Day
Television, radio, internet reports of events as they happen
Next Day
Newspaper articles from around the world surface along with continued reports
from television, radio and internet
Weeks Later
Weekly magazines provide more depth of coverage
Months Later
Academic articles focus on broader topics of terrorism and the impact of the
events
Years Later
Academic articles are still being published in addition to books for general
audiences providing information on the consequences of the events
18. Summary
• For every assignment you will likely need a variety of
sources:
• Encyclopedias & Books – provide overviews of topics from general to
specific
• Magazines & Newspapers – geared toward general public and provide
information on business and government topics
• Academic Journals – provide current research written by experts in their
field
• Websites – provide an unending stream of information, but you have to
evaluate all that you find.
Next: Using search tools to locate your resources!