The type of assignment, what you need to produce, and how much time you are given are all guiding factors. Your approach will differ depending on the format of your product:

• Research paper
• PowerPoint presentation
• Oral presentation
• Poster

The first step in gathering sources is to locate, choose, and read the sources. After the initial search in the Reference Section, you should have some general ideas and some basic facts about the topic. If you have consulted a specialized encyclopedia, you may have located even more relevant material.

Sources also differ, depending on their format (print vs. broadcast vs. online), their timeliness (books vs. periodicals vs. online), and the audiences they target (general public vs. students vs. scholars).

• Books
• Reference sources > Encyclopedias > Specialized encyclopedias > Almanacs > Yearbooks...
• Periodicals > Journals > Magazines > Newspapers
• Databases > Reference > Specialized > Periodicals
• Non-print media > Videotapes > DVDs > Sound recordings
• World Wide Web

For a more detailed view of the evolution of information, look at the following chart and timeline developed by the librarians at Duke University Libraries. http://www.lib.duke.edu/libguide/select_table.htm