In the research process: Web
(non-library sources)
Topics and source quality
You may find current information about your topic in websites as these tend to be updated frequently. This is "news," and as the word itself indicates, the information is new. Try to locate news sources from reliable sources such as newspapers or magazines that are well established.
Example news article: Dominion Voting Systems sues Giuliani over election claims (apnews.com)
Great article, but is this news source reliable? About Us | AP
Use your research topic to make a keyword list
"I read that former NYC mayor Rudy Guiliani is getting sued by Dominion voting systems for libel and slander of their product."
Keywords: Dominion voting system Rudy Guiliani libel and slander defamation
Related: civil cases criminal cases freedom of speech case law
First Amendment court United States
Where will you search? Sources & quality
The "libel and slander" example above is certainly interesting, but I'll need a minimum of 3 sources to support my academic presentation.
Your audience: College-educated, some are experts in things like communication, politics, government, medicine, psychology, etc.
Which sources will persuade or best inform them?
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Popular sources? These are things like news websites, Tweets, blogs, or articles published in magazines that contain ads and appeal to as many readers as possible. |
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Scholarly sources? These are often books that have been reviewed by academic librarians or articles published in scholarly journals in which the content is reviewed for quality by highly-credentialed experts. These tend to be written by experts for experts. |
Can your professor tell the difference? Yes. Usually just a quick glance at an APA citation is all it takes.