Use and Organize My Information
What type of sources should I use?
Books and journal articles: There are different reasons to use a book rather than a journal article and vice versa.
Books:
- Useful for overviews and summaries (introductory chapters, etc.)
- Lots of detail and explanation, both general and specific
- May include historical background
- Not published quickly--Not always current to the month (or even year)
- Can be scholarly or non-scholarly
Journal articles:
- Useful information in "small bites."
- Brief descriptions of the topic, with very specific explanations
- May only have a brief paragraph on previous research or history
- Often published quickly--May be current up to a month or week's news
- Can be scholarly or non-scholarly
What about specific types of books?
- Looking for formulas or numerical values, try handbooks.
- Looking for general subjects, definitions, or concepts, try encyclopedias, dictionaries, and/or textbooks.
The Web: It is great, but not for EVERYTHING. Using the Web as a universal application is like using duct tape as a universal repair product; it may "work" but you could have often done better.
Strengths:
- Current news, including weather, politics, conflicts, crime, etc.
- "Finding" people, businesses, organizations, etc.
- Social networking and communication
- Recreation--Sports, entertainment, movies, music, etc.
- U.S. government-produced information
- Special interests--A grab-bag category heavily dependent on individuals' taste (e.g., hobbies, fringe social movements, specialized areas of research, etc.).
- Library and museum holdings
Weaknesses:
- Giving the impression that all information is "free"--clearly not the case considering copyright and commercial resources.
- Here today, gone tomorrow nature of many web pages.
- Unsigned, undated work (difficult to prove authoritativeness and accuracy).
- Being relied on to supply ALL information.
- Being treated as the definitive information source ("It must be true; I found it on the Web!")
Evaluating Sources
Similar characteristics can be used to judge a book, journal article, web page, etc. Regardless of the format, you should be able to determine the usefulness, authority, credibility, validity, and scholarliness of the information.
Usefulness
- What is the length of your paper? Three to five pages? Then journal articles or book chapters may be more helpful. Thesis? Entire books or book chapter(s), journal articles, conference proceedings, etc.
- How long do you have to write your paper? Two days? Then concise journal articles and not books may be more helpful.
- Are there any date restrictions? Either stated by your professor or implied by your discipline (e.g., geology often requires information from back to the dawn of time where as physics typically requires only the past year or two).
- Are you required to use only scholarly sources? See section on scholarliness.
Authority
- What are the author(s) qualifications or credentials? Advanced degree(s) in the subject matter, affiliations, etc.
- Who published the information? Reputable publishing agency, professional society or association, etc.
Credibility
- Does the author state his or her bais?
- Does the publisher (commercial publisher, professional society or association, etc.) have a bais?
- Are there citations or references?
- Is your information referenced by other credible sources?
- Who is the intended audience?
- From what assumptions, judgements, and inferences, does the author proceed?
Validity
- Are the author's facts readily verifiable?
- Do the author's statistics, charts, graphs, and other graphics provide all the information necessary for understanding and interpretation?
- Do any polls or surveys performed, or sources utilized, have the ability to stand scrutiny on their own?
- What type of arguments does the author use -- emotional, factual, political, scientific?
- Do the author's arguments, data, and stated facts support his or her conclusions?
Scholarliness
- Is the author or authors listed? Are their credentials included?
- Is there a bibliography or works cited?
- An appearance of impartiality--no advertisements or unsupported opinions.
- The results of research, experimentation, or observation using reputable methods.
- Is it peer-reviewed i.e., examined and approved by a panel of experts in the field?
Correctly Using Sources
Copyright is an important aspect of information creation and use. If you create an intellectual work, copyright defines the extent of your control over others' use of the expression of your ideas. If you want to use another's intellectual work, copyright offers both protections and restrictions on how you do so. Additional information:
- U.S. Copyright Office Guidelines
- Copyright Clearance Center (CCC)
- LII / Legal Information Institute--Cornell University Law School
- Copyright & Fair Use--Stanford University Libraries
- Copyright and Intellectual Property Office--Ball State University Libraries
Does this mean I cannot use others' work? No. There are restrictions and guidelines to follow along with the inclusion of proper citations in your work. Need help with citations? Try the Citing guide. More on fair use guidelines:
- U.S. Copyright Office take on Fair Use
- Fair Use Evaluator
- Example Copyright and Fair Use Guidelines
- Copyright and Fair Use in the Classroom, on the Internet and the World Wide Web--University of Maryland University College
There are other options. The open access movement has shifted how authors and even some publishers think about how other's may use the authors' expression of ideas. To learn more:
- Creative Commons--A non-profit organization that aids authors in defining how they want their work copyrighted and that encourages collaboration and sharing of information.
- PLoS (Public Library of Science)--Open access to scientific ideas.
- SHERPA--Includes lists of publishers' copyright policies, digital archives, funding agencies' archiving policies, etc.