This guide provides resources on developing an inquiry question, finding background information, using the library catalog and databases, and developing a list of keyword terms
Content: Primary account of original research. Each article provides an in-depth discussion of findings and methods.
Author(s): Authors are experts in their field. The authors are responsible for the research and experiments outlined in the article.
Credibility: Credentials are usually provided at the beginning of each article. It will tell you what their expertise is and where they currently do research.
Audience:Written for scientists, scholars, students, and researchers.
Language:Has high levels of specialized terminology used within the field that might require expertise to understand.
References: Required! The article will will be full of citations and references that can easily be verified.
Identifying Popular Sources
Content: Secondary discussion of someone else's research. Articles are usually brief and may include unsupported opinions.
Author(s): Author(s) are journalists writing as a career; they are paid for their content. Generally not experts in subject field, but may be members of the editorial staff, or free lance writers.
Credibility: Author's credentials are usually not provided.
Audience: Geared for a general audience. There is no specialty assumed, only an interest in the subject matter.
Language: Written with commonly understandable vocabulary. Most people will easily understand the article.
Reference: Popular articles usually don't include a list of citations at the end. However, credible articles always name their sources.
