Use and Organize My Information

What Materials Should I Use?

Books vs Journal Articles

Books	Journal Articles
Lengthy coverage	Short packet of information
Lots of detail and explanation, both general and specific	Focuses on a well-defined topic, usually very specifically
Provides overviews, summaries, introductions	Limited context--cites sources to provide background
Slow publication (compared to journals)--Not "current" information	Fast publication (compared to books)
Scholarly or non-scholarly works	Scholarly or non-scholarly articles

The Web
It's a great tool, but using the Web as a universal application is like using duct tape as a universal repair product--it may "work" but you usually could have done it better.

Strengths

Current news, including weather, politics, conflicts, crime, etc.
"Finding" people, businesses, organizations, etc.
Social networking and communication Recreation--Sports, entertainment, movies, music, etc.
Information from state and U.S. governments
Special interests--A grab-bag of hobbies, fringe social movements, and specialized areas of research.
Open access e-publications
Materials in libraries and museums

Weaknesses

Is not the sum of all human knowledge--There's stil a lot out there in print.
Here today, gone tomorrow nature of many web pages
Unsigned, undated work--Difficult to prove authority and accuracy.
Lack of openly available scholarly content--The content's there but you have to subscribe, be a member, etc.
"Hidden" content--Web search engines don't reach everywhere.

If you need:

Definitions, brief explanations, concepts--Use dictionaries and encyclopedias.
The most recent information available--Use journal articles and the Web.
Authoritative information--Use scholarly journals and books, or authoritative websites.
Formulas, constants, numerical values, statistics--Use handbooks.
To trace a concept or research over time--Use journal articles and review books.
Explanations, examples--Use textbooks.

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Evaluating Sources

Useful--Ask yourself:

How much information do you need? For a short paper, journal articles or book chapters may be more helpful.
What's your deadline? You may not have time to read hundreds of pages.
Do you need current information, or older?
Do you need scholarly sources? Authoritative? Opinionated?

Scholarly Checklist--Look for:

Authors listed, with credentials
Bibliography or works cited
Reviewed by peers or experts in the subject, and published by a reputable publisher
Purpose is to inform or impart knowledge, not to sell, persuade, entertain
Appears impartial--no advertisements, emotional language, bias
Includes data, observations, statistics, or graphics to support conclusions

Authoritative--A source can have authority even if it isn't scholarly.

Author and/or publisher is an expert on the subject, for example
- Manufacturer's catalogs
- Legal or regulatory information
- Autobiographical works or personal accounts of events (to some degree)

Credible--If you want to dig deeper:

Do you see errors in spelling, grammar, data?
Are the sources being cited in the publication themselves scholarly or authoritative?
Is the publication in turn cited by other credible works published later?

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