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4.4: Types of Information Sources

  • Page ID
    237612
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    Identifying Information Sources

    When you’re doing any kind of research, you are likely to encounter many different types of information sources. Usually, your instructor will ask you to find scholarly or academic sources, which are written by experts with the goal of advancing knowledge in their field.

    The following interactive slides list some common information sources and their characteristics. Click on the information icons information-icon-1.png for tips and examples.

    Query \(\PageIndex{1}\)

    Check Your Understanding

    Query \(\PageIndex{2}\)

    The Peer Review Process

    Your course instructor might ask you to find peer-reviewed or scholarly articles on a topic. But what does peer review actually mean? The next video explains.

    One or more interactive elements has been excluded from this version of the text. You can view them online here: https://pressbooks.openeducationalberta.ca/auglibfys/?p=59#oembed-1

    When you use the main library search box, you can limit your results to “Scholarly (Peer Reviewed) Journals” in the “Refine Results” menu so that you only find peer-reviewed articles.

    The Resource Type menu, with Academic Journals selected

    Check Your Understanding

    Query \(\PageIndex{3}\)

    In the next module, you’ll learn about citing your sources.


    This page titled 4.4: Types of Information Sources is shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Kara Blizzard (Open Education Alberta) .

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