Making the Most of your Sources
This section will help you understand types of sources and the strength and weaknesses of sources you may not have encountered yet that are available to you at Capella. In addition, this section will discuss the uses of primary and secondary sources.
Types of Sources
As a PhD-level researcher it is increasingly important to choose reliable sources of information as well as gathering a range of sources - since different sources have different coverage. You need to get broad coverage of your topic, especially for your dissertations. You may need to consult sources you haven't use for your course work such as books, conference proceedings, dissertations, working papers, government documents, and any other materials that researchers in your field publish in. Below are some of the more common sources that you may use in your research.
Journals
Trade Magazines
Books, Ebooks, and Book Chapters
Working Papers, Technical Reports, E-prints or Pre-prints
Conference Proceedings
Dissertations
Government Documents or Reports
Tests, Measures and Survey Instruments
Statistics
Primary and Secondary Sources
Journals
Scholarly or peer-reviewed journals will compose the bulk of the research for the comprehensive examination and the literature review for your dissertation. By now you should be familiar with the Capella University Library databases and how to search them effectively. The article databases will be the major source of scholarly or peer-reviewed journals.
In addition to the databases, new tools such as Google Scholar may be worth spending some time searching. This tool from Google can give you a different picture of the literature due to the way it is constructed. One of the challenges of using this tool is to identify which journals are available in full text from the Capella Library. You can set your preferences to display if the Capella Library owns the journal.
- Strength: Peer-reviewed journals are considered highly credible because they pass through a peer-review process by experts in the field. They are the major channel of scholarly research.
- Weakness: Lag time of 6 months to 2 years to publication for peer-review process.
- Use: Journals are good for scholarly information, expert opinions, reviews of the literature, analysis of theories and more.
- How to find:
Trade Magazines & Professional Publications
Trade magazines are news magazines for a particular occupation or industry. The intended audience is people who work in that occupation or industry. Examples of trade magazines are: Business Week, Chronicle of Higher Education, Computer Weekly, Education Week, Media Industry Newsletter, Network World, Psychology Today, Training, Workforce Management.
- Strength: Trade magazines provide up-to-date information about current issues in a specific industry.
- Weakness: Not scholarly
- Use: Trade magazines are good for learning about current issues that affect the industry, as well as how people are dealing with the issues.
- How to find:
- Databases A-Z
- Often part of professional association memberships.
Books, Ebooks and Book Chapters
Books and ebooks allow an author to explore a topic in great depth. They can offer a different perspective than articles because they tend to provide a deeper overview or framework for the topic. Issues related to the topic are often discussed in a way that lets you put the issues in perspective with each other. You also don't have to read the whole book. If only a chapter is useful you can simply use it and cite only that chapter.
- Strength: Provide a more in-depth look at an issue.
- Weakness: Will not have most current research.
- Use: Good for gaining a broad overview of a topic and its multitude of nuances.
- How to find:
- Ebook databases (Ebrary, Netlibrary, PsycBOOKS) on Databases A-Z
- Worldcat. Find a book, then enter your zip code to find it in a local library.
- Google Book Search. Click "Find this book in Library."
Working Papers, Technical Reports, E-prints or Pre-prints
This group of publications refers to preliminary or working documents which have the goal of updating the scholarly community with the newest research results. These publications have not gone through a formal review process so they must be evaluated thoroughly or used for background or only as future developments. They may also summarize original research to draw conclusions on specific topics. Often these materials are expanded and published as a book or article within a period of one to three years. These materials are intended to stimulate scholarly discussion, provide new perspectives and inspire future research. Keep in mind not all disciplines produce these publications.
- Strength: Provides a summary of very recent research.
- Weakness: No review process before release. Must be critically evaluated.
- Use: Good for learning about preliminary research in a field.
- How to find:
- Published on organization web sites
- Search technical report or pre-print databases
- Try the Research Guides to find useful web sites
Conference Proceedings
Conference proceedings pull together the important documents from a conference. Often proceedings include abstracts of papers, presentations, posters or panel discussions held at a specific conference. They may include papers delivered there and the text of addresses given by keynote speakers but the full text of these materials is often not available. Scholars may turn their content from a conference into a paper at a later time.
- Strength: Allow people who did not attend a conference to learn about the issues discussed there. Can be used to trace the progress of a new idea or theory.
- Weakness: Can be challenging to locate - may only be able to get abstracts.
- Use: Good for keeping current on emerging topics in a field.
- How to find:
- Some library databases (Databases A-Z) include conference proceedings.
- May be published on association or conference Web sites.
Dissertations
Dissertations are original research papers written by doctoral candidates. Some of the most useful parts of a dissertation include the literature review which summarizes the research to date on a particular topic, methodology which summarizes the research methods, further research which describes how their research could be extended, and the references. Dissertations can be useful for preliminary research to get a sense of the scope of topics covered and what topics specific mentors or advisors work with.
- Strength: Offer a summary of prior research and present original research.
- Weakness: Should not be used as bulk of research.
- Use: Good for learning whether a new dimension of a topic has been explored.
- How to find:
- Dissertations and Thesis Full Text Database (Databases A-Z) includes full text dissertations from Capella and other universities.
Government Documents or Reports
Governmental bodies and professional organizations form commission or research committees to address current problems. Their reports typically explore the problem thoroughly, provide expert analysis, and recommend specific actions or further study.
- Strength: Include comprehensive analysis of a specific problem.
- Weakness: Does not go through scholarly peer-review process.
- Use: Good for insight into a specific social or real world problem.
- How to find:
- Most new reports created by the government are published on the Internet.
- Use government search engines: Google Government Search, USA.gov
- Each state has a Federal Depository Library with materials published by the federal government.
Tests, Measures and Survey Instruments
Part of the process of collecting original data for your thesis or dissertation often involves using a test or survey instrument. Thousands of test and surveys have been created by other researchers. Tests may be available as part of a journal article or book, available for purchase by a testing company, or on a Web site. Before using a test or survey instrument you often need to gather data on the reliability and validity which can be published in journal articles or as part of formal test reviews. Test and surveys are covered by copyright and you also must obtain permission before using a test for your own purposes.
- Strength: Save you time from creating your own test or survey instrument.
- Weaknesses: Have to verify tests or surveys accurately measure data
- Use: Use to collect data
- How to Find:
- Mental Measurements Yearbook (Databases A-Z)
- Finding Tests and Survey Instruments
Statistics
Statistics refer to the collection, analysis, interpretation of data by international, federal, state, and local governments and a variety of organizations. The Census Bureau is the main federal agency that collects statistics. Much of the raw data collected by governmental agencies is available through the Internet. You can then conduct your own analysis of the data. Statistics can easily be manipulated so critical evaluation of the data collected is important.
- Strength: Data collected and analyzed or interpreted
- Weakness: Can be manipulated so evaluate the source and methods of the statistics before use.
- Use: Measures change. Use the support theories and decisions.
- How to find:
- American FactFinder
- Try the Research Guides to find useful web sites
Primary and Secondary Sources
There is often confusion over primary and secondary sources. These labels can be used in different contexts.
Primary or Original Literature
Primary sources are materials that are written by an author who has first hand knowledge of what they are writing about. In historical research primary sources are materials from the time of an event, person, phenomenon, or idea that you are researching. They provide you with first-hand knowledge of the topic at hand. Common historical documents include newspapers, letters, and diaries from that time period.
Another use of the phrase primary literature refers to scholars who do original research and write about their results. The authors, often researchers or faculty, conduct the research themselves and use the article to report their findings. Original research tends to be published in peer-reviewed journals. When an instructor or mentor requires primary research they are most likely referring to original research when the people who conduct the research are the authors of the article. If you are unsure, talk with your mentor or committee for further clarification.
Examples of Primary Literature:- Scholarly articles written by researchers who conducted their own original research.
- Diaries and personal correspondence.
- Interviews with eye-witnesses or people living during the time period being examined.
- Legal documents.
- Speeches from the time period.
- Technical reports.
- Government documents.
- Books.
- Newspaper and magazine articles from the time period.
Strengths:
Primary sources allow you to learn first hand the experiences or results. For example, in historical research published collections of correspondence from American soldiers writing home from Vietnam can provide important insight into the stress caused by the environment and subsequent psychological disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder. You can uncover details through primary sources that may have otherwise gone unnoticed.
Weaknesses:
The weaknesses of primary materials are the lack of context, as well as the possible subjectivity, of the authors of those materials. Primary materials are essentially snapshots that are locked in time, devoid of context gained by the passage of time. Primary materials can also be subjective. First-hand accounts of an event may be embellished to suit the author's taste. Even an individual who attempts to accurately record the events of the day will make choices that portray the events with his or her views the world. When using primary materials, be aware of the possible subjectivity of the source.
Secondary sources are written by authors who synthesize other authors' work and do not have any first hand knowledge. Secondary sources either express ideas based on the examination of primary materials or offer critical interpretations of the materials. Common examples of this are review articles which examine articles that have been written on a specific topic during a specific time period. For example, an author synthesizes articles written about autism but has collected no new data on the topic. The authors do not conduct original research; instead, they just review others' work. Popular magazines such as Time or Newsweek are considered secondary sources. Examples of Secondary Literature
- Scholarly articles that review primary or original research articles.
- Newspaper and magazine articles that analyze or evaluate a previous event.
- Books that review primary literature.
- Documentaries that examine the past.
Strengths
The main benefits of secondary sources includes the knowledge and objectivity of the author, the perspective gained by viewing multiple primary sources, and the ability for authors to build on each other's ideas. This knowledge is a framework that an author can build on in an objective manner. Important issues - the affect of violent video games on teenagers, the affect of superstores on local economies, or the causes of learning disorders - need multiple researchers to get to the core of the problem and find solutions. Secondary sources are important because they allow you to see how far the investigation of an issue has progressed at any given point in time. The objective approach makes the information more reliable and the perspective of the researchers is valuable because it is normally well-informed by all available research on the topic.
Weaknesses
A weakness of secondary sources relates to the lag time between an event and the scholarly writings about the event. When astronomers discover a new comet, the nightly news will report on it immediately, but it can take a number of months before the astronomers can publish an article or book on the discovery.
When to Use Each Type
The nature of your assignment or research paper and the availability of materials will help determine which are used. If you are unsure, talk with your mentor or committee for further clarification.
Last Thoughts
Most of your research will involve the use of secondary sources. Both types can allow you to gain better insight and speak more intelligently on a given topic. You may also find that you need to do a lot of digging, or uncovering of many sources of information, before you find the ones that are best suited for your topic and the points you wish to make in your paper or project. Take time to find the best information, whether primary or secondary, to support your work and accomplish your goals.
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