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This section introduces you
to various types and formats of information resources found in McConnell
Library and beyond. Your research needs and strategy will influence how
you utilize these various materials. There are different ways to approach
and use these resources depending on your needs and where you are in the
research process. One way to categorize information resources is by format
such as books and periodicals
Books are useful because they often provide in-depth
treatment of a topic and include a useful bibliography of additional sources.
Some books compile a large volume of information and have an index with
which you can search for relevant information. Books are good for historical
information. Books can be found in both hard copy and electronic format.
The information in books, however, is usually not as current as that which
you find in periodicals or on the World Wide Web.
Periodicals - periodicals can be defined as materials that are
published at regular intervals (monthly, quarterly, daily, etc.). Periodical
articles are important because they contain the most readily available
and up-to-date information, which is especially important in disciplines
such as science, business, psychology, and technology. Also, subjects
too new or too specialized to be covered by books are often covered by
magazines, journals, and newspapers. Periodicals are also found in hard
copy and electronic format.
Types of periodicals:
- Popular magazines - popular magazines are written for the general
public for the purpose of informing and entertaining. Newsweek, Time,
and Ebony are examples of popular magazines. Because of their easy reading
style, magazines may be a good starting point in understanding a topic.
- Scholarly journals - scholarly journals typically have articles written
by authorities in a specialized field. They may report new research
developments or provide a scholarly discussion of a topic. They usually
include bibliographies. For most college level papers, you should rely
more heavily on articles from scholarly journals.
- Newspapers - newspapers are sources of valuable information often
not found in other resources. Not only do newspapers provide accounts
of current events, they also show changing trends in public opinion.
Older issues of newspapers provide a record of past ideas, problems,
and events. Topic coverage in newspapers is rarely in-depth.
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