6 About Week 2
Week 2: Foundations of Academic Research
In Week 2, we introduce the building blocks of academic research: information sources and how we categorize them. We cover important vocabulary (for example, what is a “scholarly source”?) and discuss the basics of why you use different source types. We also discuss the structure of academic sources so you can read them effectively and begin building your own citations. Finally, we provide a brief overview of peer review, a major factor in searching for and evaluating scholarship.
Learning Objectives
By the end of this week, you should be able to:
- Identify common source types used in academic research
- Choose an appropriate source type based on a research need
- Identify the structure of scholarly books and journal articles
- Explain (briefly) the purpose of peer review
The knowledge and skills you acquire this week will help you understand what you’re seeing in the results list of a library search tool (or Google search!) and choose appropriate sources for college-level research.
Introducing Source Types
A major goal this week is introducing common source types in academic research. We think about these source types in two ways:
- Purpose of the source (Who created the source and why?)
- Purpose of the researcher – that’s you! (What type of information do you need from this source? How do you plan to use it?)
There is some overlap in different definitions of source “types.” Additionally, although it is tempting to label different source types as good/bad (or reliable/unreliable), the truth is that the same source may be more or less appropriate for your research depending on your specific need. Take, for example, a questionable Instagram reel recommending peanut butter as a cure for the common cold. This source would be inappropriate for personal health or academic medical research, but it might be an excellent example in a research paper on social media misinformation.
This chapter covers foundational vocabulary you will see throughout this course. We encourage you to refer back to this chapter at any point for a review.
Expertise
As we discuss different source types, we use the terms expert or expertise. There are many ways to think about expertise, including academic expertise, lived experience, professional experience, etc.
We explore the complications of expertise later in this course (in Week 4: Source Evaluation). For now, we focus primarily on academic expertise – i.e., an advanced degree and research experience in a given field.
Week 2 Activities
- Read through this week’s course content in order
- By 10 PM Wednesday, Sept. 3rd: Submit your first post to the Week 2 Discussion Board
- By 10 PM Sunday, Sept. 7th: Complete the Week 2 Self-Check Quiz
- By 10 PM Sunday, Sept. 7th: Submit your starter research topic
- By 10 PM Sunday, Sept. 7th: Respond to at least one of your classmates on the Week 2 Discussion Board
