When you are starting your search, it can be valuable to think about the different themes related to your topic. By thinking about these themes and who might be writing about them, you can start to know where to look for good resources.
Academic | Trade | Popular | |
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Content | Original research and experimentation | Industry/trade trends, products, and news | Current events, opinions, and general information |
Look | Plain, long articles, may contain charts and graphs | Glossy, contains photos and industry/trade related advertisements | Glossy, contains color photos and everyday product advertisements |
Authors | Experts in their field | Industry specialists or staff writers | Journalists/reporters, staff or freelance writers |
Audience | Professors, researchers, students | Members of the particular industry or trade | Anyone |
Language | Academic and technical | Jargon of the industry | Written in a language for anyone to understand |
Documentation | Footnotes or bibliography | Occasionally contain cited sources | References may be mentioned in text |
Whether looking at print sources or electronic ones, it is important to evaluate the quality of a source. Use the following guidelines to select appropriate resources for this assignment.
Currency: the timeliness of the information
Relevance: the importance of the information for your needs
Authority: the source of the information
Accuracy: the reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the content, and
Purpose: the reason the information exists
We have many different databases for all kinds of research projects. Use the drop-down menu to select the one that is right for you.
RefWorks is a new way to collect, manage, and organize research. You can read, annotate, organize, and cite your research as well as collaborate by sharing collections.
From simple bibliographies to papers formatted with in-text citations or footnotes, RefWorks handles it all. To learn more about RefWorks, use our RefWorks research guide.
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RefWorks screencasts are available 24/7 on ProQuest's YouTube Channel.
NOTE: MLA treats quotations and paraphrasing the same.
(Last name Page)
Example:
(Dorris and Erdrich 23)
More than two authors
(Last name et al. Page)
Example:
(Burdick et al. 42)
Last name, First name. "Article Title." Journal Title, vol., no. if available, year, pages. Database, if available. Stable URL, if available.
Example:
Borroff, Marie. "Sound Symbolism as Drama in the Poetry of Robert Frost." PMLA, vol. 107, no. 1, Jan. 1992, pp. 131-44. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/462806.
Journal article with multiple authors
When a source has more than two authors, include Last name, First name, et al.
Last name, First name, and First name Last name. "Article Title." Journal Title, vol., no. if available, year, pages. Database, if available. Stable URL, if available.
Example:
Dorris, Michael, and Louise Erdich. "The Crown of Columbus." PMLA, vol. 120, no. 3, May 1997, pp. 182-44. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/462806.