一旦有了問題，就會需要能夠回答問題的資訊。現今的環境中，我們面臨的問題不是資訊太少，而是資料量太多，什麼才是有用、可用的資訊？哪些資源最能滿足你的需求。

例如想要研究「人造食物的安全性」，相關的資料可能出現在很多地方，像是：新聞、圖書、醫學網站、科學期刊、政府與非營利組織網站、報紙、雜誌文章。不同資源提供的內容與視角也不盡相同，可依你的研究主題找到適合的資料類型。

1.書籍
書籍是目前各校圖書館內最多的圖書資源，可提供各類主題進行廣泛且深度的文獻探討。

2.新聞報紙
新聞報紙內容以報導某一特定事件之始末為主，需注意報社及主編對事件描述是否具有客觀性。

3.學術論文
學術論文係由碩、博士班學生所撰寫之學位論文，有許多文獻、圖表或研究數據可作為小論文之文獻探討。

4.參考工具書
像是百科全書、自辭典、年鑑等，這類參考書常對特定研究主題會有深入探討及文獻回顧。

5. 期刊、雜誌
分為定期和不定期發行刊物，包括雜誌、專刊、電子刊物、學術期刊…等，學術性期刊通常經過專家學者嚴格的審稿，是相當值得信賴的研究資源。

6.其他未出版品
包含信件、日記、合約書、法院判例、研究日誌…等未出版的資料，這部分大部分是私人收藏第一手、原創未公開資訊，取得途徑可能有些困難。

Once you have your research question, you’ll need information sources to answer it and meet the other information needs of your research project.With so many sources available, the question usually is not whether sources exist for your project but which ones will best meet your information needs.

Consider a topic such as the safety of genetically modified food. You’ll quickly discover that information about it comes from a wide range of sources: news, books, medical websites, scientific journals, government and nonprofit websites, newspapers, magazine articles. And each of these types of sources will have a different value for you, depending on the context and requirements of your research need. 

1. Books
    Providing extensive and in-depth literature discussion on various topics.

2.News newspapers
  up-to-date current events, editorial opinion, commentary, general audience

3. Academic papers
    Academic papers are dissertations written by students in master's and doctoral programs. There are many documents, charts or research data that can be used as literature discussions for small papers.

4. Reference books
    Such reference books, such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, yearbooks, etc.

5. Journals and magazines
    They are divided into regular and irregular publications, including magazines, special issues, electronic publications, academic journals, etc. Academic journals usually undergo strict review by experts and scholars and are quite trustworthy research resources.

6. Other unpublished works
    It includes unpublished materials such as letters, diaries, contracts, court cases, research diaries, etc. Most of this part is first-hand, original and unpublished information from private collections, and it may be difficult to obtain it.

資源產生的過程有一個時間線。當事件發生時，網路媒體是最快反應的，但訊息可能不夠完整、深入。再來是紙本報紙跟一般雜誌，學術期刊跟圖書因為會經過完善的研究和討論所以要花比較多時間才能產出。假設要探討比較近期的時事或新穎的題材，就不太會從圖書找資料。

As soon as an event occurs, social media and online news sources are the first to provide coverage. Magazines and newspapers will follow shortly after, and journal articles and books take even longer to get published. If you choose a very recent event to write about, you will likely not find information about it in a book or scholarly article. 

除了圖書、雜誌與視聽資源等實體資料之外，圖書館還有線上資源，包含資料庫、電子書、電子期刊、電子報紙。透過圖書館網站登入後，在任何地方都可以使用圖書館的電子資源。更多圖書館資源請見
In addition to physical materials such as books, magazines, and audiovisual resources, libraries also offer online resources, including databases, e-books, electronic journals, and digital newspapers. By logging into the library website, users can access library's electronic resources from anywhere. For more library resources, please visit:

參考來源: Choosing and Using Sources: A Guide to Academic Research 

全國高級中等學校圖書館輔導團「圖書館引導學生自主學習參考手冊」