There are many types of sources you might encounter as you work on a research project. Here are a few definitions to help you sift through these source types.
Scholarly sources - these sources are typically published in academic journals and go through a peer review process. Scholarly sources are often written by experts in a field and are reviewed by other experts. You can find these articles using Emory Library databases, and you might be required to use these types of articles for various research projects.
Popular sources - these are sources that are not considered scholarly. Popular sources can run the gamut from celebrity gossip magazines to personal blogs to Pulitzer prize winning magazines to newspapers. Popular sources can vary wildly in quality, in type, in content, and in the type of review process they undergo. Most of what you see via a Google search are popular sources!
Trade publications - a trade publication is often written by an expert in a certain industry. These provide news, trends, opinions, etc. rather than peer-reviewed research.
Books / Book Chapters
Scholarly books, whether written by one author or contributed to by many authors, share some common traits. They are written by experts-- researchers, professionals, professors, and other scholars--to present research, analyze trends, and otherwise communicate with their peers in the same field. They are most often published by an academic press, including university or college presses as well as others.
Conference Proceedings
Conference proceedings are compilations of papers, research, and information presented at conferences. Proceedings are sometimes peer-reviewed and are often the first publication of research that later appears in a scholarly publication.
Government Documents
The Government Printing Office disseminates information issued by all three branches of the government to federal depository libraries (including Emory). Additionally, the many departments of the government publish reports, data, statistics, white papers, consumer information, transcripts of hearings, and more.
Theses & Dissertations
Theses and dissertations are the result of an individual student's research while in a graduate program. They are written under the guidance and review of an academic committee but are not considered "peer-reviewed" or "refereed" publications.
As you find sources and materials, keep in mind that their quality can vary. Learning how to evaluate information can not only help you succeed with your research assignment; it's also a critical life skill! Below are some tips you can use to help you become a savvy consumer and user of information.
Read laterally and get your bearings - Follow links, check out claims, see what other says, and see what you can find online. Don't just read the article straight through - lateral reading involves figuring out the context of the source and getting more background information on the article, who produced it, and what it is claiming. You can ask these questions to help you figure out more about your source.