Getting down to academic writing, students are sure to face the problems of information search. Many students use the Internet for finding some sources. However, the web is full of information, which in some cases cannot be trusted. Searching for academic sources, students should remember about the validity and reliability of the information. Not all sources found online are reliable, and many students need help in understanding how to find credible information in the pale of the facts on the web.
10 most valuable sources of information search with the explanation how they can be useful
Also, the list offers valuable recommendations how one can use the source in the best way.
.edu sites
It’s not a secret that each educational establishment, each class and each professor tries to offer some useful information for their students. Such information is usually located online using .edu domain. Using Google search engine and having inserted the key words for search, one may place the following “site:.edu”. In this case, students will receive the results from .edu sites only. It is very convenient. Such sites can be trusted and one does not need to check the information. However, the major limitation of such sources is that they can have nothing in common with peer-reviewed articles and if a professor asks for such information, one should search other sources of information and another way for data search.
Abstracts/dissertations database
Modern students have lots of interesting ideas and they usually provide those in their dissertations. Sometimes, dissertations are not presented for public use to avoid unauthorized copying and delivery. However, modern system of education is impossible without abstracts and dissertations databases. Such databases usually offer paid access to the full dissertations on the specific themes. One may search for a title or an abstract and having selected the dissertation on a similar topic to order its full access. The abstracts/dissertations databases can be easily found online.
Books.google.com
It is obvious that the best way to find a required book is to go to the local/central library and to search for the required information in the catalog. Then, you need to order the book and to read it making notes. Writing a dissertation, you are sure to work out hundred of books and some of them will be wrong or out of topic. Books.google.com offers a specific opportunity for dissertation writers to check the information in the book staying at home. This source does not give a full access, but it allows checking several pages. Such limited access can be helpful in understanding whether the book should be considered in general.
Journal sites
There are a lot of different journals, both printed and web ones. Students usually receive a list of the best journals where the information devoted to the course may be found. Almost each printed journal has online site, where one can find the content of the volumes of different years. Therefore, searching for some specific data, each student can select a journal, find its web site and to try to search for the information using its search system. Such method guarantees using credible information among the peer-reviewed articles.
Company sites
Writing different dissertations, students will use the companies and departments as the sources of information. Each student has an opportunity to visit the company profile, to check the annual reports, the services and the description of the products. It is possible to reference the company website.
University library
Each university has a specific library, which has a variety of sources which may be helpful to students. Each university usually gathers the sources, which can be useful to each class and course studied in the university. Modern universities have inline access, so each student has an opportunity to check the sources without living the home. One just needs to use the key words for finding the sources, and numerous databases will give the access to a variety of information.
JSTOR
Many universities give their students an access to JSTORE. Nowadays, JSTORE is “a not-for-profit organization helping the academic community use digital technologies to preserve the scholarly record and to advance research and teaching in sustainable ways”, according to its home page. JSTOR has gathered the sources from a number of books, journal and newspaper articles and has created a useful database for students. Authorized users receive full access to the sources, while unauthorized can check only the first page of the source.
Google Scholar
Google scholar is a services offered by the Google company. This service offers links to the books and journal articles. Working like Google search engine, this service selects only academic article and e-books and creates a list of the links. There is no any guarantee for having a full access to the information; however, using this service, students can select the titles, abstracts, and other information about the possible sources and to use it for finding the original source with full access in another database.
Schemes/charts/images
Searching for information online, one can use image option. In this case, the search results will be presented in images only. Such way of information analysis may help find some useful data in charts, schemes, and images. Searching the information on pictures, students may come across very important visual facts, which may help in problem analysis.
Statistics/financial data
Writing different reports and research papers, students will use statistics and financial data. Depending on the information one needs, it is possible to find different statistical databases, like WHO Statistical Information System and OECD Statistical Information System (SIS). Financial data for the companies may be found on Global Financial Data, Reuters, Forbes, The Financial Times, and Yahoo Finance.
Overall, all the sites mentioned above can help in finding general and specific information. One should clearly understand what information he/she needs and after it to search for it in one of the sources for information search. It is much easier to use these sources of information since they are valid in comparison to using simply Google for all possible data.
