1. Explore topic basics (casual web searching)
2. Background (library catalog: books)
3. Current research (library databases: journal articles)
4. Support your argument (source citation)
5. Drafts & revisions (research librarians & Writing Center)
Why use articles for research?
Now is the time to be more specific with your searching. Articles tend to cover very specific or niche topics, and are also published more quickly than books, meaning the information is typically more current than the general information you can gather from books.
Academic Search Ultimate offers access to an unprecedented collection of resources including journals, magazines, reports, books, and videos. Many are peer-reviewed and full-text. Subjects range from astronomy to zoology.
Search the full text of these newspapers: The Baltimore Sun, Christian Science Monitor, New York Times, Washington Post, and Wall Street Journal.
It's one thing to be able to find sources for a paper, but it's another to be able to evaluate those sources and use them appropriately to support your research. For college-level research, you'll want to consider using only the highest-quality information sources that you can find. Review the guide for Critically Evaluating Sources to understand methods of evaluation.