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Great Problems Seminar (GPS): Types of Information

Great Problems Seminar (GPS) resources at the library

Source Types

Source types make up the scope of the literature you are searching. Common source types include:

  • Books that encompass a single work
  • Books that incorporate many works (encyclopedias, anthologies, etc.)
  • Journal articles (sometimes peer-reviewed)
  • Conference Papers
  • Technical Reports
  • Magazine articles
  • Data & Statistics
  • Blog posts
  • Websites

Types of Information

Type of Info Needed

Type of Information Source

Definitions, technical terms, basic facts, timelines, protocols, instructions

Reference - encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks

Theory, methodology, case studies, research, peer-reviewed scholarly information

Academic journal articles, scholarly monographs (aka books)

Survey data, socioeconomic information, community descriptions, regional/national information

Government/NGO/associations websites and reports

Current and/or local information

Newspapers, magazines, websites

Industry and/or consumer information

Trade literature, market reports

Why Use Databases?

There are different tools and ways to find information, such as Google Scholar, WPI Library Search, and different databases. Each way has their own strengths and weaknesses, so it is recommended that you search in at least 3 different places.

Why use article databases?

• More focused/targeted searching - by subject/discipline
• More sorting/filtering options:
- Type of source (academic journal, book chapter, magazine, newspaper, report, etc).
- Sort results by relevance or date
- Potentially limit search to specific topic areas, geographic regions, languages, etc.
•  Many will auto-fill suggested search terms to help you search
•  Most make identification of peer reviewed journals/articles easier 
How to access databases at WPI:
  • Go to the library website
  • If you know which specific database you want to go to click on the Databases link under the search box
  • If you are not sure which database(s) you need, click the Databases By Subject then click the subject area that meets your needs

Recommended Databases

Why Use Books for Research?

Books are excellent sources for information such as:

  • Broad overview of a complex topic
  • In-depth information
  • Background and contextual information, such as the history and chronology of a given topic
  • Discovering resources through bibliographies and suggested readings lists

"But I don't have time to read a whole book!" 

It's ok, you don't have to read a book cover to cover! To determine how useful a book might be, first skim through the following parts: 

  • Title Page - look at authors (credentials?), date of publication
  • Table of Contents - look at chapter titles to get an idea what the book is really about. Are any chapters relevant to your topic? You usually don't need to read every chapter, just those that are relevant!
  • Index - Look for specific terms relevant to your topic, also note any potential new terms that can be used later as search terms in a database
  • Preface/Forward/Introduction - usually highlights the author's purpose/intention for writing the book
  • Bibliography (either at the end of each chapter or end of the book) - find additional resources!​

 

Where to start?

WPI Library Search 

Use WPI Library Search by typing in your search terms, and in the results list, look at the filters on the left side of the page. There, you can easily narrow down your results by 'Resource Types' to find only books or book chapters.