There are lots of different types of information and places to find it. Some examples include:
Most modules have a Resource List (reading list) which tells you the key books, journal articles and other resources you need to use. You can find this on each of your modules on GCU Learn. Some of the source types might be new to you.
Resource Lists are a starting point. You won't always be told what to use.
This guide will help you identify key source types, the benefits of each and where to find them.
Academic books are written by subject experts. You don't read them from start to finish. Use the contents page at the start of the book or the index at the end to find the topic you are looking for. Academic books can be in print or as e-books. The content is the same. You can search an e-book to find what you need.
Popular books are updated and republished regularly. These different versions are called editions. Depending on your subject, you might need the most recent edition of a book.
It takes a long time for a book to be written and published so you will also need to use other more recent sources such as journal articles and reports.
You can use books to:
Our main source for finding books and e-books is Discover. You can search for a particular title or a general topic. See our Discover video guides.
Journals are academic magazines that focus on a specific subject area. These are made up of shorter journal articles. They are published more frequently than books, for example monthly or four times a year.
Journal articles are short but complex and take time to read and understand. Like books, they are written by subject experts such as academics, researchers or professionals.
There are two main types of journals:
There are also different types of articles:
Many academic journals are peer-reviewed. This means that articles are checked and approved by experts in the same field (peers) before they are published.
You can use journal articles to:
You are expected to use journal articles in your work as they are a key source of academic information.
There are many ways to find journal articles. Where you search depends on how much information you need, how much time you have and what you are studying.
This short video describes the main sections in most journal articles.
Reports are published by many organisations including companies, institutions and charities. They often contain up-to-date information that isn't covered in academic sources like books or journal articles.
Older reports may be available in print, but nowadays most reports are published online. Your best options are to either use Google or, if you know the particular organisation, find their website directly.
Conferences are meetings where academics and researchers present and discuss the latest ideas and developments in their subject. They are not always research-based - sometimes they focus on projects or practice in an area. The text of these presentations are sometimes shared as conference papers.
It is not always possible to get the full text of a conference paper - sometimes you can only find a short abstract.
You can use conference papers to:
Some presentations at conferences will become full-length journal articles in future. However, writing and publishing a journal article takes a long time and can be expensive, so in some cases information will only exist as a conference paper.
Conference papers can be published in journals, collected in a book or uploaded onto websites. Sometimes the content is only a short abstract or isn't available at all, so you would need to contact the author directly. In other cases the content is a poster presentation which is not available to view.
You can also check social media if you are looking at a particular organisation - conferences often have hashtags on Twitter where attendees share ideas and content.
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Statistics are a type of information generally presented in numbers.
Statistics can be presented in the body of your text:
74% of the world's population has access to clean drinking water (World Health Organization, 2022).
Statistics can also be represented graphically, such as in a table or chart:
(Scottish Government, 2022, p.41)
You must cite and reference any statistics the same as with any other information source.
Scottish Government (2022) The Scottish Health Survey: 2021 edition. Available at: https://www.gov.scot/publications/scottish-health-survey-2021-volume-1-main-report/ (Accessed: 11 November 2022).
World Health Organization (2022) World Health Statistics 2022. Available at: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240051157 (Accessed: 11 November 2022).
You can use statistics to:
Statistics are published in a wide variety of places. Some organisations, such as the Office for National Statistics, collate statistics and publish them in reports. Other statistics are available in organisational reports and publications.
Statistics can often be misrepresented or used without context in the media. If you are using a source that has quoted a statistic from somewhere else, you should always find the original source of the statistic.
If you are unsure who is publishing statistics on your topic, you can do a Google search to see what is out there. For example, if you Google 'climate change statistics Scotland', you will find a report from the Scottish Government about greenhouse gas emissions.
It is very important to evaluate the source of any statistics you find to judge whether they are credible and suitable for your academic assignments. Click the 'Evaluating information' button on the page menu for more information.
