PROBLEMS TO SOURCES

From The Craft of Research by Booth, Colomb,

and Williams

TYPES OF SOURCES

Primary: original sources

In

history: documents and artifacts from the time and

people studied
In literature and philosophy: texts studied
In sciences: original surveys, experiments, reports

Secondary sources: written documents based on

primary sources
Journal

articles and scholarly reports based on

primary sources

Tertiary Sources: synthesis of secondary sources

Textbooks,

mass-circulation magazines

LIBRARY SOURCES

Plan Your Library Search

Overview:

encyclopedias, bibliographies, journals,

annual reviews of researach
Talk to Librarians: Develop a clear statement of your
topic and ask librarians to help you find sources
Talk to Experts: professionals, professors, teachers,
advanced students

Find Specific Sources

Keyword

search of library catalog

http://www.loc.gov/
http://www.bksh.al/
http://search.theeuropeanlibrary.org/

LIBRARY RESOURCES

Finding Specific Sources (Continued)

Online

Databases: EBSCOhost on the

http://epoka.edu.al/ website.
http://www.doaj.org
www.scholar.google.com

Browse

the shelves: You may stumble across useful

books that you didnt find in the catalog search

INTERNET RESOURCES
Check Online Texts for Relevance and Reliability
Relevance: Does the text pertain to your topic?

Find

key words in index

Skim pages with key words
Skim introductions and conclusions to chapters with
key words
Skim introduction and conclusion of entire text
Skim bibliography
If an article, read abstract
Use site map index and search functions on web
sites

INTERNET SOURCES

Reliability:
Look

at the reputations of the

Press
Author
Supporter or financer

Check

if the text is

Peer-reviewed or recommended by reliable

scholars/organizations/journals
Current
Judicious, fair, and well-balanced
Well-documented with notes and a bibliography
Cited by other textseasily done on scholar.google.com

FURTHER SUGGESTIONS

Bibliographic Trails: Check bibliographies in good

sources to find other sources
Beyond the Predictable: Check sources outside of your
predictable field for new and original insights into
your topic.

Example: If you are studying the architecture of villages in

Berat in the 1800s, you may also look up the economic and
social history of the area at the time.

People as Primary Sources:

Talk with people who are involved in your topic

Plan your questions, but dont be too rigid in the interview
Thank the people whom you interviewed and show them a
copy of your report before publication to check on the
accuracy of your quotations; Do no harm.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Booth, Wayne C., Gregory G. Colomb, and Joseph

M. Williams. The Craft of Research. 3rd ed.
Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 2008.