Where Do I Go from Here?
When it comes to research, there are multiple choices available to you. Your professor may ask you to use only certain types of sources in your research. However, you will need to understand how to determine the type of source you are using. The following table gives an overview of scholarly/academic sources, trade journals, news sources, and books.
|
Scholarly/ |
Popular Magazines |
Trade Publications |
Newspapers |
Books/ |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sample Cover |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Article Type |
in-depth research articles, often peer reviewed; formal; presents data, original research or experiments |
brief, nontechnical, current events, news, quick facts; to provide general information, entertain, or persuade the general public |
product reviews, industry statistics, news publications, patents, news for practitioners |
provides up-to-date current information about local, national, or world news |
provides a broad overview of a topic. or presents an in-depth focus on a particular subject |
|
Authors |
researchers, specialists, experts |
not always identified, staff writers |
not always identified, staff writers, practitioners |
staff writers |
often will be written by experts with significant knowledge |
|
Audience |
academics, professionals, students |
general |
practitioners, trade professionals |
general audience |
general, professional, or academic audiences |
|
Reference List/ |
almost always |
rarely |
sometimes |
rarely |
sometimes |
|
Illustrations/ |
tables, graphs, charts, or equations |
often includes glossy photographs, ads, images |
black-and-white or color images, graphs, or charts |
black-and-white or color images, graphs, or charts |
may include black-and-white or color images, graphs, or charts |