Introduction to Research

What’s the difference between a web page, a book, an Instagram story, and an academic journal article? While all of these sources might contain similar information about a given topic, the ways in which the information is created, organized, and distributed are very different. When doing research, it’s crucial to understand these differences so that you’re searching for the most relevant sources for the job.

You’re likely to encounter at least a few of these types of sources when engaging in research:

• Books: Books (both print and electronic) tend to provide a big picture overview of a given topic. They’re useful for both finding background information and supporting evidence to cite in your research paper. 
• Academic Journals: Articles in peer reviewed journals are usually considered the “gold standard” among information sources. Unlike books, they tend to focus on very specific aspect of a topic, and are therefore not the best place to find background info. They can also contain a lot of confusing wording and jargon that makes for a difficult read. However, peer reviewed journals are often the best place to find high quality information to cite in your research paper. Check out the corresponding section in Using Sources to learn how to most effectively utilize these resources.
• News Publications: Most contemporary newspapers and other news publications are available online, and you can access subscription-based titles like the New York Times for free through your MSU account. News publications are generally most appropriate for research topics related to current events. Whereas the publishing process for books and academic journals often takes months or even years, these resources provide access to the most recent information about the events happening in the world around us today. While news publications generally lack the depth and scholarly rigor of books and journals, they’re still a great place to look for background information and supporting details for topics related to current events.
• Web Sites: Web sites are perhaps the most numerous and varied information resources available to us. They can also be hard to categorize since we access many types of information sources through our web browsers, including, e-books, academic journals and newspapers. In the context of research, a web site is 1) accessible through a URL on the World Wide Web and 2) does not fall into any other category in this list. Some common examples of web sites are news organizations like CNN, college and university pages, blogs, and retailers like Amazon.
• Social Media: Social media are mainly distinguished from web sites based upon who creates the bulk of the content. Whereas conventional web sites like Slate produce and distribute their own content, social media sites are primarily driven by user-generated content (UGC). Some common examples of social media sites are YouTube, TikTok, Instagram, Reddit, Twitter, and Facebook. While you may find some information relevant to your topic on these social media platforms, they should always be approached with caution for reasons discussed in Evaluating Sources.