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Research in the sciences requires the use of high-quality, authoritative sources of information. It is vital that researchers properly identify and cite (give credit to) the sources they use so that others can verify their findings and build upon these works. Much like a house, research is only as strong as the foundation it is built on!
The purpose of this guide is to help you understand how to identify quality sources and how to find and access them. You will also find information on how to cite these sources in your own work. If you find yourself overwhelmed at any point, remember, librarians are here to help navigate sources and are happy to teach you the skills you need to become a strong researcher! Just ask!
In this guide, we will focus on books and journals as sources of information. Published materials from within the scholarly community tend to be the strongest sources because they are heavily reviewed and scrutinized before publishing. Some online sources are also very reliable, but you have to be very careful to identify the source of the information so you can verify the quality of the information.
