Research Resources 101

This guide will give you more information about different types of sources you may use in your research, as well as a bit more instruction on how to use some more complex library research tools. Remember, you can always get more help from the research librarians!

Hekman Library has many types of research resources in its collection, both in print and online. Getting to know these resources will help you find answers to different information needs: for example, what resource should you look for for detailed case studies, or which resource will give you general informational overviews? Each resource type here provides different kinds of information for meeting different needs. 

Another important part of getting familiar with research resources is determining whether they are scholarly, popular, or professional resources. Scholarly sources are written by experts in their field for other researchers and are considered the best choice for most research projects; popular sources are written for everyday readers with less attention to the quality of the information, which often makes them less appropriate for research projects; and professional sources are written for expert readers but not at the same level as scholarly research sources. 

Check out our video lesson here on the differences between scholarly and popular sources.