LCSC Library

When researching a topic, you should try to do an exhaustive review of the material available to you on that topic. However, in reality, different types of resources have their strengths and weaknesses.

FORMAT		WHEN TO USE
Books		You need comprehensive coverage. You can use a historical overview. Extremely current coverage is not important. You are able to find one chapter or article on your topic within a book covering a broad range of topics.
FORMAT		WHEN TO USE
Journal Articles		You need the most current information. You need detailed information about particular studies. You want to be sure that the research you cite has been reviewed by experts within the field prior to publication.
FORMAT		WHEN TO USE
Interviews		You can identify and contact a qualified expert in your area. You think that the interviewee can direct you to more research on the topic. You can use anecdotes from the interviewee in your paper.
FORMAT		WHEN TO USE
Surveys or Questionnaires		You want to do some original research of your own. You want to try to identify a pattern of behavior or attitudes or consequences. Your proposed work has been cleared by the Institutional Review Board for Human Subjects Research (IRB).
FORMAT		WHEN TO USE
Web sites		You want to identify organizations, government offices, or government reports relevant to your topic. You need statistics on the topic. You want to see government reports or Congressional testimony related to the topic. The Web site provides enough information about the author and the source of the information for you to judge its credibility.

As a researcher, you need to consider the nature of your topic and your instructor's assignment, and then select the resources that are best. The resources you select may be different from assignment to assignment.