Identify
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What is your topic? You may want to do some pre-research by browsing in the library catalog or Google to see if there is enough information on your topic.
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How many sources do you need? Ask your instructor about his/her expectations.
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What types of sources do you need? Do you need scholarly, peer-reviewed sources? Interviews? News articles? Photos?
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Understand the Information Cycle (how information is developed):
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First Phase: An event occurs. Those who witness the event are the primary sources. Their testimony, whether via spoken interview, diary, or letters all constitute primary information resources.
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Second Phase: Investigators, reporters or acquaintances of the witnesses hear and gather information and they assemble the information and re-tell it. These are secondary sources: social media, daily newspapers and television news, magazines and blog posts. The second phase can take hours or days.
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Third Phase: Extensive and even scholarly research may be carried out. This may take years. Sources from this phase include scholarly journals and books.