Tarleton State University Libraries Unit 3 MATCHING SOURCES TO INFO NEEDS   Now that you have an idea about the range of available sources, you may be wondering how to choose from the "mountains" of possible sources when selecting items for your research. Always choose research sources based on the type of information you are trying to find (your information need). The following examples illustrate how specific information needs influence a researcher's choice of information sources. If you need scholarly and authoritative articles or case studies about conflict resolution, management trends, marketing practices, effects of policies, employee retention, and so on, you should look in • scholarly journals & books (print and electronic) in library collections, • Internet sites of professional associations & organizations, • and Internet sites of government agencies. If you need background information about human resource management philosophy, theorists, policies, practices, etc., you should look in • reference books in library collections • and books in the general collection. If you need articles written for a general audience about employee morale and incentives, retirement and insurance issues, and other such topics, you should look in • magazines and trade journals (print and electronic) in library collections, • and electronic magazines (e-zines) on the Internet. If you need current information about employment issues in an industry, lay-offs in an area or business, mediation processes, and similar topics, you should look in • newspapers (print and electronic) and e-zines in library collections, • e-zines on the Internet, • and special interest web sites on the Internet.   Using Primary/Secondary Sources Choosing Search Tools   Library Orientation Site Index Updated 7/2004