RESEARCH SKILLS
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
It is important to learn how to use more than just an encyclopedia or Google to find the information you need for research. Here are some additional sources you may need -
Magazine or Periodical Index - a reference source that lists magazine or periodical articles by subject and author. Gale Powersearch on TEL is a great resource for magazine articles.
Primary Sources - resources written or captured by people who actually experienced the event. Student Resources in Context is excellent for primary resources.
Books of Quotations - a source such as Bartlett's Familiar Quotations or bartelby.com that lists famous quotations and who spoke or wrote them
Government Documents - the US History database available through Gale in TEL has some great government documents.
Literary Criticism - the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Student Resources in Context has critical essays. Gale's Literature Resource Center in TEL is also an excellent source for literary criticisms.
Gazetteer - a source that describes geographic places in detail. Google has a gazetteer called MapLandia. A very reliable gazetteer is The Columbia Gazetteer, but it has a cost for the subscription.
Biographical Index - a resource for finding information about famous people's lives in books and magazines searchable by their names, and sometimes by time period, area of influence, or geographical region. A good biographical index can be found in Student Resources in Context on TEL.
Atlas - a collection of maps, usually bound in a book. World Atlas is a good resource online for maps of the world from general to specific.
It is important to learn how to use more than just an encyclopedia or Google to find the information you need for research. Here are some additional sources you may need -
Magazine or Periodical Index - a reference source that lists magazine or periodical articles by subject and author. Gale Powersearch on TEL is a great resource for magazine articles.
Primary Sources - resources written or captured by people who actually experienced the event. Student Resources in Context is excellent for primary resources.
Books of Quotations - a source such as Bartlett's Familiar Quotations or bartelby.com that lists famous quotations and who spoke or wrote them
Government Documents - the US History database available through Gale in TEL has some great government documents.
Literary Criticism - the study, evaluation, and interpretation of literature. Student Resources in Context has critical essays. Gale's Literature Resource Center in TEL is also an excellent source for literary criticisms.
Gazetteer - a source that describes geographic places in detail. Google has a gazetteer called MapLandia. A very reliable gazetteer is The Columbia Gazetteer, but it has a cost for the subscription.
Biographical Index - a resource for finding information about famous people's lives in books and magazines searchable by their names, and sometimes by time period, area of influence, or geographical region. A good biographical index can be found in Student Resources in Context on TEL.
Atlas - a collection of maps, usually bound in a book. World Atlas is a good resource online for maps of the world from general to specific.