How do I find sources?

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This page will answer the following questions:

• How many sources do I have to have?
• Should I do interviews?
• How do I do an interview?
• I can't find anything on my topic at the library. What should I do?
• I can't find anything on my topic on the internet. What should I do?
• How do I find newspaper articles on my topic?

As many as it takes. You should look for sources to support the major claims in your argument and to articulate objections to your argument (to which you can then respond). You should avoid over-relying on any one source or any one kind of source.  For example, avoid relying exclusively on one book or on all internet sources. In general, a ten-page paper should cite at least five sources.

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Interviews are not necessary. They are, however, a good way to gather information from others who are experts on your topic and to gain powerful individual stories to support you claims. For example, Julio Alvarez used interviews to do each of these things in his essay. He interviewed the director of the Mexican Community Committee to gather information about the center and he opened his essay with compelling story of another interviewee.

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When should you begin setting up an interview? As soon as possible! People can be difficult to get in touch with. In addition, you may have to ask a few people before you can find someone who is willing to be interviewed.

• When you call to request an interview, identify yourself. Explain that you are a student and briefly describe your assignment. Then, ask for a specific amount of their time for your interview. This should be a relatively brief time period (15 minutes) and you should make sure you stick to it. (If they wish to extend the interview beyond this time period, that is their option.)
• Realize that, for whatever reason or reasons, some people will say "no."
• Prepare a list of you key questions in advance
• When you are confused or need more information, do not hesitate to ask follow up questions.
• Immediately after the interview, sit down and jot down your impressions and thoughts.
• After the interview, send the person a thank you note.

Should you use a tape recorder or take notes by hand? This you have to decide. If you take notes by hand, you need to be very careful to distinguish between what the interviewee actually says, your summary of their points, and your notes describing the situation. You will probably want to use a few quotations from this interview so you want to know what they said word-for-word. Do not hesitate to ask people to slow down or to repeat themselves. Taking notes can be cumbersome, but it can also help keep you focused and thinking during the interview. On the other hand, a tape recorder frees you up during the interview, but often makes the person being interviewed uncomfortable. With a tape recorder, you also have to sit down and listen to the interview to extract your notes. If you use a take recorder, make sure to check it to see that it is working. Do not forget to flip the tape when necessary.

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First, brainstorm about the key words and general topic areas which might apply to your paper. For example, Aida Perez could not find sources on Richard's Career Academy in the library. However, she could find plenty of sources on single-sex education. 

Second, ask a librarian to help you out. They can help you think of key words and show you where to look.

Third, do not limit your research to the library. Use the internet, interviews, and, if possible, go to the subject of your research.

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Brainstorm about the key words and general topic areas which might apply to your paper. Going to the library can help you with this. As you find sources in the library, pay attention to the subject areas they are cataloged under and use these to help define your search on the internet.

Citing Cyberspace by James D. Lester -- The first two chapters of this online book discuss how to use the internet for research. Chapter One is titled "Using Search Engines and Finding Resources on the Internet." Chapter Two is "Finding Internet Sources for a Selected Discipline."

The Best Information on the Net (BIOTN): Hot Paper Topics -- Librarians at O'Keefe Library, St. Ambrose College, have compiled this guide to the best sources on the internet for common paper topics. The site also includes other useful information for writers of research papers (such as how to avoid inadvertent plagiarism and links to online encyclopedias and dictionaries).

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Chicago Sun Times.    The Sun Times On-line Archive  has stories from the last 45 days. 

Chicago Tribune. The Olive-Harvey Library has a microfilm archive of The Chicago Tribune. The Tribune also provides an index of Tribune stories since 1/1/85. You can use this index to search for stories on your topic. To see the full story you have to pay the Tribune. However, if you write down the date, section, and page number of the story, you can look it up on microfilm in the library.

See How do I find out about the South Side Now for a fuller list of Chicago-area newspapers at Olive-Harvey and on the web.

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