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Choosing Appropriate Sources

Choosing Appropriate Sources. Types of Sources. Information comes from many different types of sources Encyclopedias Journals Databases World Wide Web Every type of source has its own PURPOSE , and it’s own way of presenting information.

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Choosing Appropriate Sources

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  1. Choosing Appropriate Sources

  2. Types of Sources • Information comes from many different types of sources • Encyclopedias • Journals • Databases • World Wide Web • Every type of source has its own PURPOSE, and it’s own way of presenting information. • The trick is to know the difference, and choose the APPROPRIATE Source for the TASK

  3. Choosing Sources Wisely • When you're doing research for a project, you need to make sure that you are choosing your sources wisely. • Your project will only be as good as your sources • This means CHOOSING: • The BEST Type of SOURCE for the task • GOOD SOURCES

  4. Choosing the BEST type of Source • How do you decide which is the BEST TYPE of source for the task? • Become familiar with the type of information offered by different types of sources. • Start by thinking about your Research Question: What is it I want to find? • Match up the type of information you need to find, with the type of source. • Usually your Research will be a Journey, not a Destination. • It will require you to use many different TYPES of Sources. A Good Rule to follow is: • Start with the GENERAL and move to the SPECIFIC

  5. Focused Knowledge Specific Knowledge General Knowledge Reference Articles Books, Specialized General Sources • Encyclopedias • General References Specific Sources • Journal Articles • Website articles Focused Sources • Books • E Books • Specialized References • Websites From The General to the Specific

  6. Choosing Good Sources • You must become a GOOD judge of what a good source is • It is your responsibility to become a Reliable, Effective CONSUMER of Information • 3 Important Questions to think about are: • Is this source reliable? Does it contain facts, or opinions? • Is this source complete? Does it say all there is to say on the topic? • Is this source up-to-date? Was it written recently?

  7. Encyclopedias >General Knowledge • An Encyclopedia is a large, multi-volume Reference work, which contains a summary of information • Encyclopedias provide general, background information on a topic • An Encyclopedia can be General – which means it contains information from a broad range of topics OR • An Encyclopedia can be Specialized – which means it contains information from a particular topic, culture, time period, or event. They provide much more depth and detail on their subject matter. • Ex: Encyclopedia of the Middle Ages, BC Encyclopedia NOTE: The word “encyclopedia” means “General Education”

  8. Why & When to use Encyclopedias • An Encyclopedia is an EXCELLENT place to START your research • Gives you a good, general overview of your topic • Helps you narrow down your Research Focus • Helps you narrow down your topic, and refine your Research Question • Can POINT the way to more specific sources Resources • Pros: • Encyclopedias are informational, factual, and reliable sources of information • Encyclopedia articles give you a good, general overview of a topic • Cons: • Encyclopedia articles usually present just the highlights of a topic, they don’t provide comprehensive coverage of the topic • Often, you'll need more detail than an encyclopedia can provide. • Encyclopedias don't always have the latest information about a topic. • They aren't always up-to-date. Sometimes you'll need more current information.

  9. Online Encyclopedias • World Book Advanced • Login: sas, Pass: student • World Book Discover • Login: sas, Pass: student • Canadian Encyclopedia • Know BC

  10. World Book Online • Features of World Book Online: • Updated more frequently than print version • Search Results Includes MANY different types of sources: • Encyclopedia Articles, Images, Sounds, Primary sources, Maps, Tables, Additional Web Links • Save Article Feature • Citation provided at bottom of each article

  11. Research Databases >Current Knowledge/Deeper Research • Research Databases are organized collections of data from different types of reference sources. • Online periodical Articles • E Books • Online Newspaper Articles • Specialized References • Online Encyclopedia Articles • The EBSO and GALE Databases are a good source of information for: • Current knowledge on a topic • Past or recent research on a topic • Critical Thinking questions about a topic – What is the impact? What are the points of view? • They are designed for easy, quick searches and quick, relevant dataretrieval from reliable sources

  12. Why use the Databases? • A Database provides links to reliable, comprehensive, up to date sources of information about a topic • Since Databases contain links to many different types of sources, they can provide access to General > Focused and > Specific Knowledge • A database can link you to many GOOD Informationsources: • Credible: Information is from professionals or experts in the field, and credentials are included • Accurate: Contain ONLY Information from reviewed published works, and facts are checked • Reliable: Information is factual, and generally from non-biased sources. • Current: information is updated frequently • Comprehensive: Provides links to many different sources on the topic, many of which provide detailed, in-depth coverage • Source Citation: Full citation information is provided

  13. Database vs. Web Search • Contains ONLY information from reviewed, fact-checked published works • Information is from professionals or experts in the field • Information is updated frequently • More search options • Easy to narrow down topic • Citation information provided • Different types of databases for specific topics • Authorship is often Uncertain • Content often Unverified, and not reviewed • Search options are often limited • Information often does not meet specific research needs • CitationInformationis often unavailable • Often contains a lot of irrelevant information • Frequently out of date

  14. EBSCO Databases @ SAS • EBSCO Host • login: saspassword: student • A Research database with full-text content from many different sources: journals, books, reports, ebooks, publications • Canadian Points of View • Access to Canadian points of view from different sources, including magazines, newspapers, journals, reference books, and even radio and t.v. • Consumer Health Complete • Access to medical-related articles, information, images, videos, and news

  15. Gale Databases @ SAS Password: student • CPI.Q • A database of articles from Canadian journals, magazines, biographies, and other sources with a Canadian Focus • Gale Virtual Reference Library • A database of specialized encyclopedias and references • Global Issues in Context • International viewpoints on global issues, topics and current events from various reference sources

  16. Academic Journals • A Scholarly Journal is a periodical, in which articles relating to a particular academic field are published. • Articles are reviewed and edited by peers (experts in that field) • The articles may contain original research, review articles, and/or book reviews. • The authors are usually experts in their fields, and their credentials are always provided • Bibliographic source information is always provided • Academic Journals are a reliable source of information for research.

  17. Academic Journals • Pros: • Articles from Scholarly Journals can be rich in facts, and very comprehensive • Often, they are even more detailed than books. • The information in Scholarly Journal articles is usually very up-to-date. • Cons: • Articles in Scholarly Journals are often focused on VERY SPECIFIC topics, and it can sometimes be difficult to find an article relevant to your Research • Using Databases to search for Journal Articles can sometimes be difficult to figure out

  18. Electronic Journals at SAS • You can access content from many different Electronic Journal articles through the Electronic Research Tools at the SAS library • EBSCO Host • Canadian Points of View • Consumer Health Complete • CPI.Q • Global Issues in Context

  19. Newspapers The World Book Discover Site provides access to Online World Newspapers • Pros: • Newspaper articles are usually Current • You usually can't get much more up-to-date than a daily newspaper. • Cons: • Newspaper coverage isn't as complete as the coverage in other sources • Often there isn't enough detail in a newspaper article • Newspapers tend to present the highlights of a topic. • Newspapers can contain quite a bit of BIAS and Opinion • Newspapers are not usually reliable sources of factual information • The Information from a newspaper MUST always be verified with other sources

  20. World Wide Web • Pros: • Some websites are very reliable • Some Websites cover their topic in great detail • Many Websites are updated regularly • Cons: • There is no consistency in the usefulness of Websites as a source • EVERY Website you use must be judged and evaluated, in order to determine it’s usefulness as a Source • Many websites are meant to sell, persuade or entertain, and not inform • Anyone can publish on the web, so there are no checks and Balances • The best Web sites to use are ones that are meant to inform you

  21. Books • Non-Fiction books are usually a good, comprehensive reliable source of information. However, sometimes finding an appropriate Non-Fiction book in a smaller library, can be a daunting task. Large collections of Non-Fiction books have become a rare commodity in libraries, because they very expensive and they become out-of-date quickly, If you can find a book on your topic, you must then determine if it covers enough details about a specific topic to be relevant. • Pros: • Books are usually a reliable source, as long as the purpose of the book is to inform. • Books are usually complete sources - they usually cover their topic thoroughly. • Cons: • Books are sometimes out-of-date. • Always check to see when your book was written before using it as a report source. • If it's more than a few years old, it may be missing some new information that you'll want to know about

  22. eBooks • Non-Fiction Ebooks are a good alternative to print books, as they can be updated more frequently, and don’t require storage space • You can access many different FREE informational Ebooksthrough the World Book Discover site

  23. Research Tools @ SAS Many different useful Research Tools can be found on the WB Discover or WB Advanced sites • Atlas • Citation Builder • Dictionary • Ebooks Center • Explore BC • Explore the World • Primary Sources • Today in History • Visual Dictionary • World Newspapers

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