What types of sources will I need for my assignment?

1. What Types of Sources Do I
Need for My Assignment?
Books?
Online Journal Articles?
Websites?

2. Different types of sources play distinct
but complementary roles in the research
process.
When you are just starting, it is
important to search for background
information so you learn key facts,
people, dates and any specialized
vocabulary associated with your topic.

3. What Are Reference Sources?
A source (print or online) that
contains many shorter entries and is
designed to be browsed rather than
read from beginning to end.
Examples: Encyclopedias (both
general and subject-specific)
dictionaries, handbooks.
The best way to find background information
is to use reference sources.

4. Print reference books – in the reference section
of the Sinclair Library (these books cannot be
checked out and must be used in the library).
Where can I find reference sources?

5. Online reference databases – The best are Credo
Reference and Gale Virtual Reference Library, which
include thousands of searchable online encyclopedias and
dictionaries.
Where can I find reference sources?

6. Even a website like Wikipedia is an online reference
source, but since anyone can edit you should be
careful with the information you find. It can be great for
a general overview of a topic, but try to cross-reference
specific facts with a higher-quality library resource.
Where can I find reference sources?

7. Reference sources are a great place to
start and will save you time in the long run,
but for a research project you will also need
to cite other sources like books and
articles.

8. Books, for one, are a type of source
that tends to get skipped.
Why would I choose to use
a book when I can easily
find a much shorter article?

9. But books have some
important advantages
• Books typically give more context and history of your
topic, making them easier to understand.
• Books are usually broader or more comprehensive in
scope than articles, making them more relevant and
applicable to your own research.
• All the information you need might be in just one
chapter, which you can read relatively quickly.

10. Where Can I Find Books?
To find a book in the Sinclair Library, you need to know
where to look.
1. Check the Sinclair Library catalog, then look under Status
to make sure it is AVAILABLE and not checked out.
2. Verify the Location of the book.
3. Write down the Call Number because that tells you where
on the shelf it is located.
Let’s take a closer look at this call number

11. 331.1 W271i
Always read call
numbers from
left to right.
Each hundred
stands for a
different broad
subject area. In
this case, the
300s are the
social sciences.

12. Within the social
science section
(300-399), the
330s are
economics, and
331.1 is an even
more detailed
subject area
(labor force and
market).
331.1 W271i

13. If you get to the shelf and there are
lots of books with that exact first
number, move to the second part and
go alphabetically with the first letter
(W), then the next number if
necessary (271).
This part refers to
the book’s author
331.1 W271i

14. There it is! That wasn’t so bad

15. The best part of the call number
system is that since books are
organized by subject, you can
quickly find others like them on
the same shelf. So if you identify
one promising book for your
paper, go find it and you will
likely have several more.

16. And don’t forget OhioLINK, which lets you
borrow books from nearly any college or
university in the state. If the book you need
is not in the Sinclair Library Catalog you
can easily re-do your search in the
OhioLINK catalog.

17. • At Sinclair, we’ve reached the point where
we have more electronic books than
print books.
• eBooks can be found in LibSearch or the
Sinclair Library Catalog and are all 100%
free to be used either on or off-campus.
What About eBooks?

18. Depending on where you are searching, the
language will be slightly different, but look for
words like “full-text” or “connect to resource.”

19. Most eBooks are read within a web browser,
but we have some that you check out virtually
and download to your computer or device.
Popular collections include EBSCO eBooks,
Safari Books Online and The Ohio Digital
Library (these are the ones you “check out”).

20. Now that we’ve covered
books, what about articles?

21. Articles are published in information
sources called periodicals, of which
there are several common types:
• Scholarly journals
• Trade magazines
• Popular magazines
What’s the difference?

22. Comparison of Periodicals

23. Articles, especially scholarly
articles, are usually much more
focused and specific than books,
which can be a good or a bad thing
depending on your topic.

24. The library has
subscriptions to over
300 periodicals in
print, usually keeping
the past five years.
But the vast majority
of our articles are in
electronic form
through the library
website.
Where can I find articles?

25. Where can I find online articles?
Use LibSearch to search for keywords
related to your topic or even the title of a
specific article (searching here will return
more than just articles).

26. Where can I find online articles?
Or find a LibGuide for your class or subject to
see recommended article databases in your
discipline.

27. If you are checking to see if we have a particular
periodical title, use the Sinclair Library Catalog:

28. Or use our A to Z List of e-Journals for details on
which years, volumes and issues we have online:

29. Other commonly used sources
• Newspapers - both in print and online
through many of our databases.
• Websites – some are credible, such as a
governmental organization; others are not,
such as a personal blog post. We’ll talk
more about evaluating information in a
future lesson.

30. • Primary sources – this does not mean
one particular format (like a book or
journal) but rather any document or object
that was written or created during the
time period being studied.
Examples: Diaries, speeches, letters,
interviews, official records, creative
works or even artifacts.
Other commonly used sources

31. Finally, in addition to thinking about the
source formats you need (reference
sources, books, journals, magazines, etc.)
give some thought to what specific
evidence you need to write your paper.
What do you need to prove to the reader?
Facts? Trends? A cause and effect? What
information will allow you to do that?

32. Next Steps: Look over the
resources in the “further activities”
section to the right and take the
Quiz below it.
Also, please leave any comments or
questions you have below this
presentation.

33. Credits
Title slide - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Narrative_Books_on_Library_Shelf.JPG
Slide 3 - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:G%C3%B6ttingen-SUB-
Encyclopedia.Americana.JPG
Key Takeaway: To write a good paper you will
usually need to use a variety of information
sources, and the library provides books,
periodicals (journal articles, magazines,
newspapers) and reference sources (topic
overviews from encyclopedias and dictionaries) in
both print and electronic forms. Search across all
types of resources with LibSearch, try an article
database, or use the Sinclair Library Catalog and
the OhioLINK catalog to find books.