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On an academic level, you should read wider than only one source on a given topic. Your lecturer will provide you with a list of sources to consult (this includes prescribed readings and recommended readings). To show your lecturer that you understand the topic, you need to use and apply a number of different readings. It is, therefore, best to know the differences between different sources. At the end of this unit you should be able to understand and reflect on information and that different types of information service different needs.
Ask the following questions:
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Dictionaries ![]() |
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Dictionaries are reference material and not available for loan
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Encyclopaedias![]() |
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General:
Subject:
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Encyclopaedias are reference material and not available for loan
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Websites![]() |
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World Wide Web |
Source | Details | Example | Where to find? |
Popular magazines![]() |
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Newspapers![]() |
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Library catalogue: SA online newspapers
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Websites![]() |
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World Wide Web |
Source | Details | Example | Where to find? |
Books![]() |
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Academic Journals![]() |
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Websites![]() |
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World Wide Web |
Source | Details | Example | Where to find? |
Books![]() |
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Encyclopaedias![]() |
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General:
Subject:
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Encyclopaedias are reference material and not available for loan
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Source | Details | Example | Where to find? |
Books![]() |
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Title: Urban pollution and health risks |
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Scholarly/Academic Journals ![]() |
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Library catalogue and databases
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Source | Details | Example | Where to find? |
Popular magazines![]() |
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Newspapers![]() |
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Library catalogue: SA online newspapers
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Websites![]() |
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World Wide Web |
Source | Details | Example | Where to find? |
Books![]() |
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Encyclopaedias![]() |
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General:
Subject:
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Encyclopaedias are reference material and not available for loan
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Scholarly/Academic Journals![]() |
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Library catalogue and databases Journals are available in print or can be found in databases
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Interviews ![]() |
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Books, periodicals, newspapers, Internet |
Newspapers![]() |
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Library catalogue: SA online newspapers
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Websites![]() |
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World Wide Web |
Basic search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing) are useful when you need background information or a place to start; however you must be cautious as limitless information leads to confusion and one does not always know where the information comes from.
Please note: Google is a search engine and not a source of information
Google
Alternative to Google
The deep web is made up of content databases and content put onto the web by agencies that want you to search from their homepages, and not from search engines for various reasons. Remember that Google only searches 101 KB into a website. Many good websites require registration, free or fee-based, and these cannot be searched by search engines. Sites that define “ no index” in their protocol also prevent search engines from retrieving what could be quality information.
So just how are you supposed to search the deep web? You need to know where to go. A good start would be getting to know the different types of information you could find at the following sites. Remember that this list is by no means exhaustive, but it’s a start.
News: International news and events: CNN, BBC World
Online dictionaries:
Academic writing
• The Writing Lab at Purdue [http://owl.english.purdue.edu/] houses 200 free writing resources and instructional materials for students, teachers, and trainers. Included are formatting and style guides, grammar and mechanics, internet literacy, ESL, job search and technical writing, and research. There are sections geared to writing for specific disciplines (e.g. experimental report writing in psychology) and forms (e.g. writing about poetry). This site provides the nuts and bolts needed to jump-start any writing project.
• The writing center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill [http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/]
Journals
• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) [http://www.doaj.org/]. Launched in May 2003, Sweden's Lund University Libraries Head Office hosts this "one-stop shopping" open access directory, providing no-cost access to the full text of 2,200-plus journals. More than 630 journals are searchable on the article level (more than 98,000 articles available) in the sciences and humanities/social sciences, and its directory is continually growing in size.
• Open Access Journals Search Engine (OAJSE) Open Access Journals in the World (excluding India) [http://www.oajse.com/]. Here you can search for any open access journal publications. It is listed from A to Z and covers any subject discipline.