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_First Year Writing - Regional Campuses — Types of Sources

This guide focuses on research resources for English classes at the Regionals with information for specific assignments.

Popular vs. Scholarly Articles

When looking for articles to use in your  paper, you should realize that there is a difference between "popular" and "scholarly" articles. Popular sources, such as newspapers and magazines, are written by journalists or others for general readers. While scholarly sources, are written by experts in their fields for students and researchers. Scholarly journals are sometimes referred to as "peer-reviewed," "refereed" or "academic."

              Time cover image                   The Journal of American History cover image                   The Day newspaper cover Sept. 15, 1967
                

Search Engines vs Library Databases

Web pages, blogs, and  Internet sites that you find with Google, Yahoo, and others can be helpful and fun. But, do they provide the quality of information that your instructor expects in your paper? Is the information  found on the Internet available for free? These are key questions to consider when you find information on your topic directly from a search engine. Library databases offer hundreds of reliable and reputable sources that are specifically targeted at students, with no access fees, and available from home!