Ascension - WI

Typically content revolves around current events. The focus is geared toward the general public with articles written by journalists or freelance reporters

The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, Financial Times

Magazines usually cover current events and general interest subjects. Articles from magazines can help you generate ideas about issues, controversies, or unanswered questions about a topic, which you might want to explore further. They sometimes refer to studies or scholarly work that you can track down for more information.

Trade publications are written by and for professionals within an industry. These are an excellent source of very specific information from inside the field.

Scholarly journal articles go through a process of peer review before they are published. They are written by experts in the field and their purpose is to advance the ongoing body of work within the discipline. These articles might present original research data and findings, or take a position on a key question within the field. They can be difficult to read, because their intended audience is other experts and academics, but they are at the top of the line when it comes to authoritative information.

Books cover virtually any topic, fact or fiction. For research purposes, you will probably be looking for books that synthesize all the information on one topic to support a particular argument or thesis. Books usually provide in-depth and/or historical analysis of a subject.

Subscription databases provide a variety of information on many subjects. Some of the information you can obtain from databases includes: news and journal articles, datasets, analyst reports, dissertations and company financial data.  

The focus, content and authors of websites vary widely according to each individual site. Always evaluate website information carefully.

Documents is a broad category and can be found in a variety of places including the library, internet and databases that cover white papers, working papers, newsletters, etc. Documents may contain industry information, statistics, as well as potential insider information.