BAS Research Guide: Research

First and foremost: Make sure you know your instructor’s requirements. When in doubt, ask about what resources they would like you to use.

Types of Material

Academic

 These are the topnotch resources to use for most projects. They have been created by experts in the field. These include:

• Academic Books and Journals: Created by experts and reviewed by editors but may not have gone through multiple expert reviews.
• Peer-Reviewed Journal: Contains research articles that are ALWAYS examined by multiple experts in the field and data checked for accuracy. Also known as refereed or scholarly. When searching the library databases, you are able to limit your search to only peer-reviewed articles. This will make the search process easier if your instructor has limited what resources you are able to use for your research. 

Note: Because even some peer-reviewed journals contain some non-peer-reviewed information such as book reviews, editorials, and think pieces, you need to be aware of this during the research process and make sure that you have selected “Peer-Reviewed” when running your search in the library databases and to use critical thinking when reading the article to ensure it seems like an academic, research-based work. 

Non-Academic 

Often, instructors will allow you to use resources that are not considered academic. This can include magazines, newspapers, and the internet. These can be great resources, but you will need to confirm with your instructor what non-academic resources you may be limited to using. 

• Government Documents and Websites: Government documents are defined by the U.S. Code as any informational matter printed by the U.S. government at government expense or as required by law, 44 USC 1901 (1994). This include congressional records, federal reports, and other material. Governmental websites such as PubMed, NASA, and Data.gov can give you access to not only reports but also raw data-sets that you are then able to use for your own statistical and research analysis. 
• Professional Organizations: These groups are made-up of professionals in fields and often have membership requirements related to work experience. The print and digital materials such as professional white papers and magazines they create may be often be considered legitimate and useful, particularly in research related directly to the operational aspects of the field in question. One thing to note about white papers is that they are sometimes used to sell products and should be reviewed for bias before use.
• Newspapers and Magazines: These are often great resources to use both in print and digitally. However, they, like websites, need to be evaluated for bias and legitimacy. 
• Online: These should always be used sparingly in academic research, and you must confirm with your instructor that they are allowed in the class before using them. If you are able to use them, you should always evaluate them for legitimacy and usefulness.  

When using non-academic resources, you should ALWAYS evaluate your resources. One of the best ways to do this is to use the CRAAP test! See the section below.

If your instructor allows you to use general internet sources, make sure to do the CRAAP test. This is also useful for day-to-day internet use and for evaluating other types of resources. 

Evaluating Website and Other Resources Using the CRAAP Test

Currency: The timeliness of the information

• When was the information published or posted?
• Has the information been revised or updated?
• Does your topic require current information, or will older sources work as well?
• Are the links functional?

Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs

• Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
• Who is the intended audience?
• Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)?
• Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use?
• Would you be comfortable citing this source in your research paper?

Authority: The source of the information

• Who is the author/ publisher/ source/ sponsor?
• What are the author’s credentials or organizational affiliations?
• Is the author qualified to write on the topic?
• Is there contact information, such as a publisher or email address?
• Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source? (e.g. .com, .edu, .gov, .org, .net)

Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness and correctness of the content

• Where does the information come from?
• Is the information supported by evidence?
• Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
• Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge?
• Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free of emotion?
• Are there spelling, grammar, or typographical errors?

Purpose:  The reason the information exists (possible bias)

• What is the purpose of the information? (to inform, teach, sell, entertain, or persuade)
• Do the authors/ sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear?
• Is the information fact, opinion, or propaganda?
• Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
• Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional or personal biases?

(the Acronym was created by Meriam Library California State University Chico)  

Catalog Basics

The catalog does not only bring back results for physical books; it also brings back results for e-books, e-videos, journal articles, and newspaper articles.

Please note to access the e-materials you will have to be logged in to your library account.  Follow this link.

Main Search Page

There are a multitude of databases available for you to use, and they mostly operated in a similar manner. A few things to make sure you look out for:

• Select “Peer Reviewed” when available
• Select “Full Text”
• Make sure that you know what dates ranges your teacher will allow you to use. For example, can you only use material published in the last ten years, five years, or it does not matter what the date range is for the assignment?
  • This is especially important for subjects like technology and medicine where there can be significant changes of theory and practice over the years.