Types of sources you'll need for research, by librarian Andrew Walsh from Sinclair Community College in Dayton, Ohio.

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. Search the Library Catalog using the “Books” tab on the
homepage search box, then look under Status to make sure
it is AVAILABLE and not checked out.
2. Verify the Location of the book.
3. Write down (or take a pic of) 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 other colleges 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.
• Once you find one, you just need to find the
link that will take you to the full-text, which can
sometimes be a little hidden. The next slide
will tell you what to do.
What About eBooks?

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

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

20. Most eBooks are read within a web browser, but
we have some that you check out virtually and
download to your computer or device. In some
cases you can print or save a certain number of
pages at a time.
Popular collections include EBSCO eBooks,
Safari Books Online and The Ohio Digital
Library (these are the ones you “check out”).

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

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

23. Comparison of Periodicals

24. 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.

25. 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?

26. Where can I find online articles?
Using the search box on the library homepage,
click the Articles tab.
Or click All Resources (LibSearch) to search
for articles, books and more simultaneously.

27. Where can I find online articles?
Or find a LibGuide
(linked in the center of
our homepage and on
the left sidebar) for
your class or subject
to see the best article
databases in your field
as well as other
research tips. Or
choose from a list of
all of our databases
(Databases A-Z).

28. To see if we have a certain periodical, click this link in the
Articles tab to see the library’s online holdings.
For print journals in the library, click Books and select
“Dayton Campus Periodicals” from the dropdown.

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.