Prepare to Search
2 Choose Your Resource Type
Before starting your search, it’s essential to know what types of resources you need. Double-check your assignment to identify which types of resources your instructor has asked you to use. Some of your assignments will leave this choice up to you, while others will require specific types of resources. This chapter introduces you to some of the types of resources you may need to use. It also explains the difference between quantitative and qualitative studies so that you can identify what type of study a source is.
Tips
Before you begin the chapter, take a look at these top tips for developing a topic.
- Check what is required.
If you’re not sure what types of resources to look for, check your assignment outline or ask your instructor. - Look for peer-reviewed resources.
Resources that are peer-reviewed have gone through a special process to make sure the information is high quality. - Recognize whether a study has filtered or unfiltered information.
Filtering is an evaluation that happens to an original unfiltered article that has already been published. Filtered information has been evaluated for quality by someone not involved with the original research and may make recommendations for clinical practice (e.g. systematic reviews). Unfiltered information is original research, whether or not it is peer reviewed (e.g. research articles).
Important Terms Used in this Chapter
Introduction
There are many different types of resources that you can find during your search. The types of sources you use will depend partially on your topic and the requirements of your assignment.
Explore the information below to learn more about the following:
- Types of Resources: The different kinds of resources you can find during your search, from books to grey literature. This will help you determine what type of resource you need.
- Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research Methods: Characteristics of the types of studies described in some resources. This will help you understand the resources you find and to know what kind of study you need to look at.
Types of Resources
Information comes in many different formats. Some types of resources are academic, while others are popular and informal. Understanding the various types of content available to you will make it easier to plan your research.
Click below to learn more about the various types of information sources.
- Alternative format: Books, Journals, Magazines, Grey Literature & More word document.
Qualitative vs. Quantitative Research Methods
When you find health sciences articles that report original research studies, this research tends to be empirical, meaning it’s based on observation or experience. Empirical research can be divided into two categories: qualitative and quantitative. Most topics fit better with one or the other. This video and exercise will show you the difference so that you can have a better understanding of the resources you want to use.
Empirical Studies: Qualitative vs. Quantitative Video Transcript
Test Your Knowledge Activity: Types of Sources
- For attributions, please see the Attributions page in the table of contents. ↵
Empirical research is based on observation or experience. Empirical research can be divided into two categories: qualitative and quantitative. The vast majority of research articles in the health sciences are based on empirical research.
Evidence-based (or evidence-informed) practice means using current best evidence in making decisions about the care of the individual patient. It means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available clinical evidence from research.
Source: Module One: Intro to EBP by Duke University Medical Center Library and the Health Sciences Library at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, licensed under CC BY-NC-SA.
Grey literature is material published by organizations that are not primarily publishers. These materials can be made available by the government, academia, non-for-profit, business and trade organizations, in print and digital formats.
Source: Types of Resources by The Learning Portal, licensed under CC BY-NC.
Typically illustrated as a pyramid, the hierarchy of evidence is a way of ranking the “best evidence,” from weaker methods at the bottom to stronger methods such as meta-analysis and systematic reviews at the top.
Open access journals are online academic publications that are made available to readers without subscription fees, free of charge.
Source: Types of Resources by The Learning Portal, licensed under CC BY-NC.
Some journals (categorized as “peer-reviewed journals”) specifically publish articles that have been peer-reviewed. In order for an article to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, it has to go through a formal submission process which includes a peer review stage where experts (“peers”) ensure the accuracy, originality, significance, and other characteristics of the research before it is accepted for publication. These articles are highly regarded because the findings and results have been reviewed by experts in the field.
Source: Types of Resources by The Learning Portal, licensed under CC BY-NC.
Popular magazines publish articles that typically focus on information from pop culture. Articles are usually short, with a casual tone, and often have images embedded throughout.
Source: Types of Resources by The Learning Portal, licensed under CC BY-NC.
Qualitative research is a type of empirical research that uses methodologies such as biography, case study, historical analysis, and ethnography. Compared to quantitative research, qualitative methods focus less on things that can be measured using numbers and more on describing people’s behaviours and experiences.
Quantitative research is a type of empirical research that uses methodologies such as questionnaires, structured observations and experiments. Compared to qualitative research, quantitative methods focus less on describing people’s behaviours and experiences and more on things that can be measured using numbers.
A scholarly journal is a publication, often published monthly or quarterly, that publishes academic research articles. Scholarly journals are often, but not always, peer reviewed.
A scoping review is a broad review of the size and scope of the evidence on a specific research question. It is similar to a systematic review, but it aims to address broader, often exploratory research questions. Scoping reviews are often conducted to identify gaps in the literature.
A systematic review is a review of the evidence on a specific research question that uses a systematic methodology. This is similar to a literature review, but it goes more in-depth and aims to consider all the existing literature on a research question.
Trade magazines (also known as trade journals) publish articles aimed at people working in a particular field. The content focuses on information about working in the profession, trends, and news related to that field or trade, rather than academic research.
Source: Types of Resources by The Learning Portal, licensed under CC BY-NC.
