Most students use only books for their assignments or search the internet. Generally speaking, you should try to supplement your research with journal, magazine, or newspaper articles as well, unless your assignment requires you to do otherwise. But there are so many other resources out there! What are the advantages and disadvantages of some of these resources?
Advantages & Disadvantages of Various Resources
| Resource type | How to locate | Advantages | Disadvantages |
|
Book
|
Poly LibSearch |
Provides a good overview about a subject matter. The content is usually edited before it gets published, so it is more reliable than information found on the internet. |
It often takes longer for a book to be published, compared to other resource types, so the content may not be as current. |
|
Academic (or scholarly) journal article
|
Journal & magazine article databases |
Academic journal articles are written by experts and scholars who have the relevant knowledge and experience. They often contain detailed investigations or discussions about a narrow topic. Some academic journals are peer reviewed. This means that fellow experts and scholars provide feedback and recommend changes to articles. This process improves the quality of the article. Journal articles contain bibliographies so that readers can verify the information. |
A layperson will find the these articles difficult to understand. The peer review process means that academic journal articles take time to be published. |
|
Magazine article
|
Journal & magazine article databases |
Magazine articles contain information on current events and topics. The time taken to publish magazines is usually shorter than to publish books, so the information will be comparatively more current. A layperson should not have much difficulty in understanding a magazine article. |
Magazine articles are often written by writers who are not experts in the topic. Magazine articles usually do not contain bibliographies, so it will be harder for readers to verify the information. |
|
Newspaper article
|
Newspaper databases |
Newspaper articles contain very current information compared to other print media. Online newspapers are often updated as events unfold. The articles may contain brief data either in the form of text, tables or infographics, sometimes not found in other publications. A layperson should not have much difficulty in understanding a newspaper article. |
Some newspapers and journalists may have obvious or subtle political biases. Some newspapers focus on more sensational news and gossip (e.g. tabloids such as Daily Mail, The Sun, New York Post), and may be less trustworthy than the more serious newspapers. |
|
Video
|
YouTube |
Videos make some topics easier to understand. Useful for quick information gathering during the early stage of research. |
It can be challenging to find good quality and appropriate videos. |
|
Website
|
Search engine e.g. Google |
Information can be more current than that from print media. Useful for doing quick information gathering during the early stage of research. |
Just about anybody can write an article on a website, Wikipedia entry or blog post. So the information may not be highly reliable. An article on the internet usually does not contain bibliographies, so it will be harder for readers to verify the information. |
