What kind of information do I need?

The topic of your paper will help to determine the types of information you will need to gather. You should have a general idea of what you want the paper to say or what final outcome you expect. Examples of this are "Genetic Engineering is the salvation of mankind" or "My paper will show the life of Atilla the Hun." As you find information you may need to shape or change your idea and you will be able to form a working outline.

For a biography, you will want sources that show the facts and information of a person's life. You may find that the 5 books you found all say the same thing. That is okay. Use some information from each source. You do not have to take your facts all from the same book. A source does not count unless you use it.

Fatima is doing a controversial subject and will need facts to "prove" her opinion. It is far more persuasive to others (and her teacher) if she can say "59% of Americans..." instead of "lots of people...."

You need to know what sources will give you what information. Look at the list below to help you find your information quickly.

Abstracts -- A short summary of an article. Helps you decide if you want the whole article of not.
Atlases -- A book of maps.
Bibliographies -- Lists of books and other sources on a given topic.
Dictionaries -- Gives a short definition of a word or topic.
Encyclopedias -- Gives introductory information about a subject.
Indexes -- Guides you to more information in newspapers, magazines, journals and books.
MAS -- A CD-ROM program that will give you abstracts and some full text magazine articles on many subjects.
SIRS -- A CD-ROM program that will give you full text of articles on particular subjects of social interest.

The librarian will be happy to help you find these items and others.

Fatima knows she needs 5 sources and wants statistics for her topic. Now that she knows what kind of information she needs, it is time to gather it.