LibGuides: For Students: Learn

Identifying Different Resource Types

Primary Vs. Secondary Sources
[Touro Libraries]

Evaluating Primary Sources
[Lafayette College]

Scholarly, Trade, and Popular Periodicals
[Touro Libraries]

Scholarly VS. Popular Periodicals
[Vanderbilt University]

What is a Scholarly Article?
[Coastal Carolina Kimbel Library]

Choosing Your Sources

Once you have an idea about what you'd like to research,
it's time to see what information is available.
At Touro, we have over 120 databases and thousands of information sources to choose from.
So... where do you start?

Popular sources are a good place to get ideas when choosing a topic and to become familiar with general, basic information.

Reference sources will give you a wide overview of your topic, including facts, statistics, and comprehensive background information. These can help narrow down your topic.

In-depth sources will add further detail, examples, and variety to your research.

Narrow-focus sources will add depth and fine detail to your research, including expert opinion and results from scientific research.

Beginning Your Research

Quick Search

Quick Search
Find: All Library Resources
Best for: Beginning research, evaluating topics, finding articles from citations

Databases

Databases
Find: Articles from Newspapers, Magazines, and Scholarly Journals; Some eBooks, and Streaming Videos.
Best for: Later stage research, finding articles on a specific topic.

Feature Databases

EBSCO multi-search
Search articles in many EBSCO databases at once. Encompasses ERIC,
Professional Development Collection, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition,
Newspaper Source, MasterFILE Premier, MEDLINE…

ProQuest One Academic
Provides access to journals, ebooks, dissertations,
videos, and news from ProQuest Central, Academic Video Online,
and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global.