Canvas Content Repository: Types of Sources

Information can come from a variety of sources - media, blogs, books, journals, magazine articles, and expert opinions - but choosing the right sources depends on the question you're trying to answer. Before jumping into your search, reflect on the scope of the question you're asking and consider the types of resources (primary, secondary, tertiary) you'll need to support your argument. Use the list below to familiarize yourself with the types of sources available and how they can be used along your research journey. 

Types of Sources

Here are some examples of sources you will find at the VSCS Libraries: 

• Newspapers - Newspapers and online news sources provide credible documentation of an issue or event as well as editorial commentary and opinion to bring in perspective or analysis to contextualize an event or issue as it may fit into history.
• Popular magazines - Popular magazines provide the general public with information about topics of interest and current events. Professional or trade magazines are written by members of a particular profession or academic discipline. 
• Professional or trade magazines - Professional or trade magazines are written by members of a particular profession or academic discipline. 
• Scholarly or academic journals - Academic and scholarly journals are publications and forums where new research is evaluated. Studies that are published in academic journals are examined by an independent panel of academic peers.
• Book and eBooks - Popular press or "trade publications" are books that are aimed at the general public. Academic books typically contain scholarly or scientific information and have extensive bibliographies. 

Knowing what kind of resource you need depends on the kind of resources your need: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary sources.

• Primary Sources - A primary source may be a first-hand account of an event created during the time period being studied, or at a later date by a participant in the events being studied. Examples include research studies, statistics, data, letters, interviews, videos, and government documents.
• Secondary Sources - A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. Examples include books, eBooks, academic journals articles, and newspaper articles.
• Tertiary Sources - Tertiary sources are publications that summarize the information found in primary and secondary sources to provide background on a topic, idea, or event. Examples include encyclopedias, textbooks, bibliographies, and indexes.

Credible or Scholarly Sources

You may have been told to use credible or scholarly sources in your research. What does that mean? 

• A credible source is a source that provides accurate, reliable, and trustworthy information, typically written by an expert in the field with evidence to support its claims.
• A scholarly source is a source written by experts in a field for other experts to present original research, analysis, and findings. They are often characterized by complexity, technical language, and a focus on a specialized audience.

While there is overlap between these two concepts, they aren't the same. For example, a reference book (like an encyclopedia) can be considered relatively credible, but it is intended for a general audience and wouldn't be considered scholarly. Therefore, while encyclopedias be a good source to find background information on your topic, you will probably want to move on to more scholarly sources for more in-depth research.  

It can be helpful to think of credible and scholarly sources as a spectrum, with different types of sources as more or less credible or scholarly: