Finding Sources

What makes a research source good or bad? When conducting research, you are conducting a search for facts to piece together for a thesis. Any source that contains opinion or fiction is a bad source.

Reports are always more interesting and convincing if they contain data or statistics. Some research numbers and results can add a really surprising or interesting twist to your papers. This list provides some good places to start if you want to support your opinions with some research data.

Sometimes it's not easy finding research sources. You may discover a few great books to use as sources, but then you discover that those books seem to be the only sources out there! Find out how to find more sources for your research paper.

As a researcher, you will find that every question can have many possible answers, partly because events are clouded by opinions. You can see evidence of this if you browse through your television news programming.

Your first big research assignment can seem overwhelming at first. This guide to research sources will clear up your confusion about reliable print sources like books and journal articles.