This guide will help you find, evaluate and use the most suitable information from the vast options available.
Quality information is the foundation of all research and becoming an expert will help you achieve degree success, and develop valuable skills to take into your working life.
After reading through this guide you will be able to:
This section describes the different types of information sources and where to find them.
Information can come from many sources, including books, the Internet, social media, newspapers, magazines and more. Approaching information starts with knowing the type of information sources you need. You need to understand what these are and how they are produced to decide if they are relevant for your academic work.
In the course of your module, consider the following questions:
The type of assignment, e.g. presentation, report, literature review, essay, video, live brief?
What is the word count and weighting of the assignment? This indicates how much information is required.
What type of information do I need to complete the assignment i.e. theory, criticism, current practice, images, statistics, new or historical research?
Where will I find this information, e.g. books, journals, databases, websites?
What range of information sources are required. For example do I just need academic information (mainly books and articles) or a wider range?
Once you understand your assignment title you can identify the resources you need to answer the question.
| Books | Books often provide the overall theory to a subject area or an in-depth coverage of a specific topic. | |
| Academic journals | Academic journals are regular publications that focus on a particular subject area. Each issue contain a number of articles written by researchers, academics and experts in that subject area. | |
| Trade and professional practice publications and magazines |
Trade/professional practice journals are good for industry trends, innovation and news within the industry. |
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| Newspapers |
Newspapers are good for current events, items of local and national interest, historical and social research and primary research |
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| Conferences | Conferences are formal gatherings where experts, and those interested in a subject, meet to present and discuss the latest research. Conference papers and proceedings are the published record of a conference and are vital in the field of research as they are often the first time that research breakthroughs are announced in public. | |
| Grey literature | Grey literature is information unpublished or published informally. Government departments, organisations, companies and universities are common producers of grey literature. Examples include government reports, policy statements, annual reports, conference proceedings, theses and dissertations, and university research prior to publication. |
Goverment and organisational websites |
| Legislation | Legislation is a term for documents concerned with the act of making laws and includes, acts, bills, regulations, statutory instruments, regulations, by-laws and proceedings of Parliament. Use legislation to find current laws and legal records. |
When you search online or use Library Search to find articles you will find many different kinds. See this tutorial to identify what kind of article you have found: popular, trade or academic.
Improve your skills and increase your confidence by attending our workshops. The workshops cover a range of topics from starting assignments to finding reliable information, mastering referencing and developing your critical writing.
Our Subject Librarians are here to enhance your research strategies, resource selection and some aspects of referencing.
Our Study Coaches cover skills such as academic writing and critical thinking. We also offer specialist IT and Maths and stats guidance appointments.