Topic 1. Scholarly Sources and How to Find Them

>Scholarly vs Popular Sources

Scholarly sources:

• original research published in journals
• written by experts in the field
• are usually peer-reviewed (evaluated by other experts in the same field)
• include citations
• usually are longer, about 10-30 pages

Example: The determinants of post-immigration investments in education

Popular sources:

• general interest stories which may refer to research but do not contain original research
• written by journalists or staff
• are not peer-reviewed
• rarely include citations
• tend to be shorter, about 200 words to a few pages

Example: Schools and immigration: What it takes to educate all children

> Tools: Catalyst/Borrow Direct; Google Scholar

Topic 2: Citation Tracking and Finding Related Articles

Tools: Web of Science, Scopus, and Scholar

Topic 3: Primary Sources and How to Find Them

>What is Primary Sources?

A primary source is an original object or document - the raw material or first-hand information, source material  that is closest to what is being studied. 

Primary sources vary by discipline and can include:

• historical and legal documents,
• eye witness accounts,
• results of an experiment*,
• statistical data,
• creative writing,
• art objects.

>Tools:
For government documents: check database list US Government (recommend: Proquest Congressional; Hein Online)
For statistics: check Statistics database list (recommend: Statista)
For newspapers: check Newspaper database list (recommend: Nexis Uni)
For historical archives: check History-Digital Primary Sources (recommend: Gale Primary Sources)