Source Types (non-exhaustive list)
Academic Journals - empirical evidence, research results, usually peer-reviewed
Trade Publications - experts in the field, product reviews/information, new techniques or processes derived from academic journals in practice
Magazines/News - public or popular opinion/perceptions
Grey Literature (business/non-profit research, policy reports, working papers, etc.) - research/studies published outside of academia
Government Information - legislation, policy, governmental guidance, etc.
Market Research/Demographic Information - data about a particular demographic or region, either raw or synthesized
Conference Proceedings - like academic journals, but with less rigor, often early stages of a study
Blogs - people discussing topics of interest. Preferably experts in the field.
Industry Websites - dealerships, trade association sites, etc.
Books/e-books - Comprehensive view of a topic
For any search, it is helpful to develop a search strategy before you begin so that your search is narrowed and focused.
Decide what you want to research based upon your assignment requirements. Then, turn your topic into a research question. Focus your search on answering all aspects of that question.
EXAMPLE:
Your topic is "evaluation of sediment levels of a drainage pond using sonar technology".
Your research question could be: "What is the best technique to measure sediment levels in storm water ponds using sonar echolocation technology?"
Identify the main concepts in your question and develop keywords based upon that question. Brainstorm synonyms and related concepts for your keywords.
Make your search make your search more effective by using the following to separate your keywords (terms):
AND - find all the terms (ex. "age discrimination" AND workplace)
OR - find any of the terms (ex. workplace OR workforce)
NOT - exclude a certain term (ex. Canada NOT "United States")
EXAMPLE:
Your keywords could be:
|
Drainage pond Retention pond Storm water pond |
Sediment Erosion Measurement Sonar |
You can find credible information using Library Search, the main search box on the library homepage. You also may need to select subject specific resources and/or search engines like Google to fully answer your research question. It is good practice to draw information from a variety of sources.
EXAMPLE: A search string based upon the above concepts could be:
("storm ponds" OR "retention ponds" OR "detention ponds") AND sediment AND sonar
Search for your topic, refine your search string, and then search again.
