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Our library catalog is a great place to start, but it doesn't have everything!
Check out the tabs below to search for more specific types of information.
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Reports original research, usually the results of an experiment. Researchers
will report the methods and theories researcher used to arrive at those findings,
including limitations the researcher experiences.
Features of Empirical Research
- Hypothesis
- Research Methods
- Dependent & Independent Variables (if an experiment)
- Data
- Findings/Conclusions
Find Empirical Research:
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Science Reference Source This link opens in a new window Topics covered include biology, chemistry, earth & space science, environmental science, health & medicine, history of science, life science, physics, science & society, science as inquiry, scientists, technology and wildlife. Science Reference Source provides full text for hundreds of science magazines, journals, reference books and high-quality videos. The database also contains science experiments, curriculum-aligned lesson plans, and a vast image collection. View the EBSCO Search Tutorial Video
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Scopus This link opens in a new window Scopus is a multidisciplinary abstract and citation database of peer-reviewed literature and web sources with tools to track, analyze, and visualize research in the scientific research area. Elsevier Scopus curators seek out and ensure that only the most trusted, peer-reviewed scientific articles, books and conference papers are available on Scopus.
An article that discusses the past research studies on a topic. Their main purpose is to pull together results of multiple studies to give an overview of a particular area of research.
Features of Literature Reviews
- Published as journal articles in academic sources
- Peer-reviewed work of scholars
- Outlines important research trends, assesses strengths and weaknesses of prior studies, and identifies potential gaps in knowledge
- Intended for an academic audience
Find Literature Reviews:
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Academic Search Complete This link opens in a new window Academic Search Complete is the world's most valuable and comprehensive scholarly, multi-disciplinary full-text database, with more than 8,500 full-text periodicals, including more than 7,300 peer-reviewed journals.Indexing and abstracts for more than 12,500 journals and more than 13,200 publications including monographs, reports, conference proceedings. The database features PDF content going back as far as 1887, with the majority of full text titles in native (searchable) PDF format. Searchable cited references are provided for more than 1,400 journals. View the EBSCO Search Tutorial Video
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Science Reference Source This link opens in a new window Topics covered include biology, chemistry, earth & space science, environmental science, health & medicine, history of science, life science, physics, science & society, science as inquiry, scientists, technology and wildlife. Science Reference Source provides full text for hundreds of science magazines, journals, reference books and high-quality videos. The database also contains science experiments, curriculum-aligned lesson plans, and a vast image collection. View the EBSCO Search Tutorial Video
Popular versus Scholarly Sources
Scholarly Sources
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
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Published in academic journals, not in stores
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Written for and by experts in the field
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Longer review process, may be peer-reviewed
STRUCTURE
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Abstract
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May include graphs, data, and/or statistics
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Includes a list of references at the end
USES
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Subject-specific information, research, and data
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How scholars communicate
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Quality and reliability of the information is much greater, particularly if it is peer-reviewed.
Anatomy of a Scholarly Article 
Images borrowed from Capalla University Library.
Popular Sources
GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
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Magazines and newspapers
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Broad, general audience
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Shorter review process
STRUCTURE
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Simple language
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Shorter than journal articles
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May include pictures, special layouts, and/or advertisements.
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Rarely include references
USES
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Current information and events
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Overview of a topic
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Human interest stories or convey emotional responses.
Primary, Secondary, & Tertiary Sources
In the sciences, primary sources are documents written by the person(s) who conducted the original research.
For example, a primary source would be a research article where scientists describe their methodology, results, and conclusions about the genetics of tobacco plants. A secondary source would be an article commenting or analyzing the scientists' research on tobacco.
Primary sources
- Conference proceedings
- Original research articles
- Lab notebooks
- Data sets
- Patents
- Technical reports
These sources are where the results of original research are usually first published in the sciences. This makes them the best source of information on cutting edge topics. However the new ideas presented may not be fully refined or validated yet.
Secondary sources
- Books
- Review Articles
These sources tend to summarize the existing state of knowledge in a field at the time of publication. Secondary sources are useful places to learn about your topic in depth. They are useful places to find comparisons of different ideas and theories and to see how they may have changed over time.
Tertiary sources
- Compilations
- Dictionaries
- Encyclopedias
- Textbooks
- Handbooks
These types of sources present condensed material, generally with references back to the primary and/or secondary literature. They can be a good place to look up data or to get an overview of a subject, but they rarely contain original material.
Examples
| Subject | Primary | Secondary | Tertiary |
| Agriculture | Conference paper on tobacco genetics | Review article on the current state of tobacco research | Encyclopedia article on tobacco |
| Chemistry | Chemical patent | Book on chemical reactions | Table of related reactions |
| Physics | Einstein's diary | Biography on Einstein | Dictionary of relativity |