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Plan your Research Strategy: Determine what sources you are going to use.

General Information on Types of Resources

Use encyclopedias, dictionaries, almanacs, and other reference sources.
They feature:

  • Short entries (a few paragraphs to a few pages)
  • Background information
  • Important people, places, events and/or timelines (chronologies)

Some are very general, covering a wide range of topics

Some are about a particular subject like business, multiculturalism, or chemistry.

The best way to find an encyclopedia/dictionary/almanac on your subject:

  • Go to the library catalog
  • Enter your topic and encyclopedia as the search terms. (Ex: business encyclopedia)
  • In the 'Search by' box, select Keyword
  • From the 'Quick Limit' dropdown menu, click Reference Collections
  • Hit 'Search'
Criticism, opinion, pop culture, current events.(popular magazines & newspapers)

Articles are usually written by a paid journalist (who may or may not be an expert on the topic) and are written for a general audience. - so you don't have to know a lot about the topic to understand the article.

Popular magazines are:

  • ones that you would see at your local bookstore.
  • usually glossy and include pictures and advertising.
  • typically published weekly or monthly.

Newspapers are:

  • typically published daily or weekly and so contain the most current published information.
  • local (Manhattan Mercury), regional (Kansas City Star), national (USA Today.)
  • many newspapers also have websites with frequently updated news.

These sources are useful:

  • to get current events, local news, or popular culture.
  • for opinions and editorials, advice, and graphics.

The databases Expanded Academic and LexisNexis are good places to start to find popular magazines and newspapers.

Research or scholarly information (professional journal articles)

Academic journal articles (often called scholarly, refereed, or peer-reviewed) are:

  • written by experts for an expert audience
  • reviewed by other experts in the field before publication.
  • supported by in-depth research: including data, research, methodologies and literature reviews of related research in the field.
  • usually have a bibliography of other works cited.

Academic journals:

  • usually do not have advertising, colorful pictures, or glossy pages.
  • may have charts, graphs, or other images to convey the facts of the research
  • usually list an editor
  • the authors are often listed with their university affiliations.
  • are usually published only a few times a year (although there are exceptions to this rule.)
  • usually have articles reporting on research conducted a year or more in the past due to the time it takes to write and edit the articles.

You can find Academic Journals:

  • by searching on a topic in our databases
    • go to the Libraries' Database page to find general and subject specific databases.
  • to browse: current issues are on the shelf in the Libraries' current periodicals collections
    • social sciences and humanities - Hale, 2nd floor.
    • sciences - Hale, 1st floor.
    • architecture - Weigel Architecture Library, Seaton Hall
    • engineering - Fieldler Engineering Library.
    • math/physics - Math/Physics Library, Cardwell Hall.
    • veterinary medicine (and some human medicine) - Veterinary Medicine Library, Trotter Hall.
  • to browse: back issues are bound (so they look like books) and shelved in the stacks by call number
Information about a specific industry. (trade publication)

Trade publications:

  • are targeted to a particular industry, such as engineering, textiles, secondary education or restaurant management.
  • may cover trends in the industry, current practices, regulatory standards, or trade shows.
  • include articles that are written by staff writers, although many feature articles written by experts in the field or guest columnists.
  • may be glossy, like popular magazines, but the advertising is usually for equipment or resources specific to the industry.
  • vary widely in publication frequency: weekly to a few time a year.

You can find Trade Journals:

  • by searching on a topic in our databases
    • go to the Libraries 'Databases to find general and subject specific databases.
    • LexisNexis or ProQuest Research Library are good databases to start with.
  • to browse: current issues are on the shelf in the Libraries' current periodicals collections.
    • social sciences and humanities - Hale, 2nd floor.
    • sciences - Hale, 1st floor.
    • architecture - Weigel Architecture Library, Seaton hall.
    • engineering - Fiedler Engineering Library.
    • math/physics - Math/Physics Library, Cardwell Hall.
    • veterinary medicine (and some human medicine) - Veterinary Medicine Library, Trotter Hall.
  • to browse: back issues are bound (so they look like books) and are shelved in the stacks by call number.

Also consider:

  • encyclopedias and other resources that provide background information about industries.
  • Business Subject Guide for more information.
  • Government Documents. (U.S. and International data about production, import/exports and regulate industries.)

Detailed, exhaustive information on a particular topic. (book)

Books:

  • provide more detailed information on a particular topic (compare a 15 page journal article to a 250 page book, which is going to have more information?)
  • vary as to whether they are written by a professional writer who learns about the topic to write the book or are written by an expert in the field.
  • vary as to whether they are written by one author or are comprised of chapters written by different authors.
  • vary as to whether they are written for the general public or for hobbyist or for experts in the field.
    • scholarly or academic books usually include extensive bibliographies.
  • are not the best sources for current information in the field, given the time it takes to research, write, edit and publish a book.

Use the Library Catalog to learn what books K-State Libraries owns.

Use WorldCat to learn about all books. Use Interlibrary loan to ask K-State Libraries to borrow the ones we don't own.

Government reports or information. (government documents)

Government documents are any reports or other works published by government departments or agencies. These can be at the local (Manhattan or Riley County), state (Kansas), federal (U.S. Government)or international (European Union) levels;

Government documents include:

  • laws and regulations.
  • reports (soil surveys, Occupational Outlook Handout, congressional hearings.)
  • statistics (census, agricultural production data, economic indicators.)

    • Start at the Government Publications department.
    (many documents are available online.)

in-depth information on a very specific topic. (thesis or dissertation)

A thesis or dissertation:

  • is a substantial academic paper written on an original topic of research, and may be the only source of that information.
  • is the culmination of a graduate degree.
  • requires original research, footnotes, and bibliographies, etc.
  • can be found using the Dissertations and Theses database.
Visual information or presentation aids. (visual materials)

Use

Videos, DVDs, sound recordings, and slides can provide additional information about your topic and can be incorporated into presentations.

Wait, that's a website, can I use it?

While K-State's databases and many of our journals and even some of our books are accessed online, these are not typically what your professor is banning when she says, "No websites." because:

  • Librarians choose and pay for databases that provide articles, statistics, and other information about subjects that people study at K-State.
  • The vast majority of articles in these databases are written by professional writers or scholars who have researched and verified their information.
  • When she says, "No websites," she likely means that you should use library or academic resources. Still not sure? Ask her!

Image credits

Based on the original Assignment Calculator from the University of Minnesota Libraries.


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