Which information sources should I use for a school research assignment?
When you search the internet for information sources for a school research assignment, you may need to do some investigating to determine which ones you should use.
If the topic you're researching is relatively simple and most people agree about it, you're probably OK using whatever information sources you find. But the more complex and the more controversial the topic is, the more you need to investigate.
The example topic we're using here, "What are some causes of climate change?" has a lot of complexity and a lot of disagreement, so we'll definitely need to investigate the example information sources that turned up in our search.
If you're looking for information for some other reason--such as personal interest--some of these tips still apply, but the main focus here is on searching for information for an assignment that will be reviewed by a teacher who cares where you're getting your information :)
Find out more about the complexity and controversy of questions -->
INFORMATION SOURCES CREATED BY ORGANIZATIONS
When you search for information sources for a school research assignment, most often you find websites (or videos) that were created by organizations of some kind, like this one.
Find out whether you should use an information source created by an organization for a school research assignment -->
NEWS OUTLETS & OTHER PERIODICALS
News outlets are created by a specific type of organization. The purpose is to publish news and opinions, as well as information about current events and topics of interest.
Other periodicals (information sources that are published at regular intervals) have a similar mission, but focus on specific topics or audiences.
Find out whether you should use a news outlet or other periodical as an information source for a school research assignment -->
INFORMATION SOURCES CREATED BY INDIVIDUALS
Other websites (or videos) were created by individuals, who have sole responsibility for the information, like this one.
Find out whether you should use an information source created by an individual for a school research assignment -->
CROWD-SOURCED WEBSITES
One more type of information source you might find when you search is a crowd-sourced website, where anyone cast post anything.
Find out whether you should use a crowd-sourced website as an information source for a school research assignment -->
