First-Term Resource: Online Research Sources

Online Research Sources

The internet can be a gateway to reliable and concrete research, or it can simply yield informal opinions and unsubstantiated information. This document lists some Internet sources that are typically considered reliable, though it will be important to evaluate each source with your own set of standards based on your writing needs.

Books and Periodicals

  • Purdue Global Library: Access to periodicals, conference papers, and electronic books.
  • Google Books: Collected books in electronic format with available previews.
  • Google Scholar: Search engine for academic or scholarly sources.
  • Ebooks: Some previews of books are available, though most full versions need to be purchased; electronic formats can be downloaded to electronic devices.
  • Find Articles: Articles from mainstream publications on topics that include business, health, social issues, technology, and others. Some access is limited to members of the website.
  • AU Press: This open access scholarly press provides electronic versions of their books, with the option to purchase the printed version.
  • Public Library of Science: Free access to medical and science journal articles; titles are restricted to those submitted to those with permission from authors and publishers.

Audio and Video

  • TED: Insightful and timely recordings of presentations from experts in various fields; free access to videos, transcripts, and blog content.
  • YouTube: Various types of videos including newscasts, documentaries, governmental proceedings, interviews, and the like.
  • American Rhetoric: Collection of audio and video recordings of American speeches, including those from presidents, civil rights activists, and other influential Americans throughout history.
  • National Public Radio: Text and audio versions of the news, talk, and entertainment segments featured on NPR.
  • WYNC Radiolab: Audio science essays about a myriad of topics. These podcasts are often funny, entertaining, thought-provoking, and speak to larger issues concerning the world of inquiry and science.
  • Public Broadcast System (Video): Video collection of programming produced and features on PBS channels.
  • History Channel: Clips and full versions of programming and special segments on historical or history-changing topics; also available is text about historical topics, such as you might find in an encyclopedia.
  • Discovery Channel: Videos on a variety of scientific and related topics; blogs, articles, and interactive tools are available on the website.
  • National Geographic Channel: Videos and content related to nature, travel, photography, and society.
  • DVIDS: Military media releases, including video, audio, and images.
  • Library of Congress Digital Collection: Videos, photos, and audio collection of historical and current topics.

Government and Open-Source Providers

  • US Government: Access to government divisions and related documents.
  • US Goverment Statistics: Provides access to official Federal Government statistics from a variety of agencies.
  • Internet Archive: Collection of content from the internet that may no longer be available through a traditional Internet search.
  • MIT Open-Courseware: College-level course content for informational purposes only; users cannot receive college credit by reviewing these courses. Open Courseware Consortium also provides listings of websites with access to course content.
  • Federal Resources for Educational Excellence: Provides listings of website content that might be used in educational settings, such as websites related to history, business, or the arts.
  • Library of Congress: Access to a variety of historical and current topics, including topics related to government programs.

Search Engines

  • Google: General search engine with Advanced Search and Settings to refine results.
  • Bing: Search engine similar to Google.
  • DeepDyve: Rent full-access to journal articles; preview articles that are not available for rental. Try searching the Purdue Global Library for the article before agreeing to rent from this website.
  • iSeek: Search engine with question format and keywords to narrow results.
  • Dogpile: Automatically searches using the following search engines: Google, Yahoo!, Bing, and Ask; allows for searching only images, videos, and news.
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