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Posted Feb. 1, 2016

Unusual Sources: Learning Beyond the Student Library

Books student

When thinking about sources, your first thought will probably be to the library – or potentially, online journals. After all, most of what we rely on during undergrad are books, journals and academic articles. However, these are not the only sources out there! Things like blog-posts, YouTube videos and podcasts can all be valid sources of information, and they’re well worth exploring.

Referencing If you’re going to use these unusual sources, it’s useful to know how to reference them. Check with your university’s specific style guide, but here are some examples in Harvard style:

YouTube reference:

Screen name or username. Year.

Title.

[Online]. [Date Accessed]. Available from: URL

Blog reference:

Family name, Initial (s). Year. Title of blog entry. Date blog entry written.

Title of blog.

[Online]. [Date accessed]. Available from: URL

Online comment reference:

Family name, Initial (s) (or online identity name of the commenter). Year. Comment on: original author's Family name, Initial. Title of article.

Newspaper title . [Online]. Comment posted on date. [Date accessed]. Available from: URL

Podcast reference:

Family name, Initial (s) (of originator). Year. Title of episode.

Title of podcast.

[Podcast]. [Date Accessed]. Available from: (URL/App)

Tweet reference:

Family name, Initial (s) or organisation. Year.

Full text of tweet.

[Twitter]. Day and month tweet posted. [Date accessed]. Available from: URL

All of these are from the Leeds Library reference resource which is a handy overview containing lots of unusual sources!

Academic Quality As with all unusual sources, you’ll need to consider the academic quality of the sources and justify its use. Why are you referencing a podcast over, say, a well-known academic text? Depending on your topic, this can be quite simple or very hard. If, for instance, you’re studying the online reception of something, it makes sense to quote internet comments. It’s much harder to justify doing so elsewhere. However, this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t try – there is a wealth of knowledge to be had outside of traditional academic circles, and you should take advantage of it.

Finding Interesting Resources But just where should you start finding these unusual sources? A quick Google search might seem the answer, but it’s easy to get lost in a myriad of seemingly useful pages. We recommend talking to others studying a similar area to you and building outwards from there. Often, academic organisations or speakers will have Twitter accounts, where they will re-tweet or otherwise link resources. Starting by following some you are aware of, you can easily end up finding lots of new and fascinating people to follow. It’s the same with most things – find a couple of sources you trust and find engaging, and then follow up their recommendations. From blogs to journal references, the method is the same.

  Just What Is Available?

There are lots of things out there that can be a potential academic source, it’s just finding the right angles to use them. Some interesting sources that you may not have thought of include:

  • Twitter: great if you’re looking at the reception of things, or modern political discussion, thanks to its tendency to be involved in many major events
  • YouTube: brilliant for quick overviews, lecture recordings, TEDtalks, and so on
  • Blogs: many academic will have their own blogs, but even those outside of academia are worth following. Sometimes experience is more helpful than theory!
     
  • Podcasts: if you’re an audio-based learner, podcasts can help you along and can be listened to whilst doing other things. Many educational institutions will host these, but why not explore further yourself?
     
  • Instagram: again, if you’re looking at how things are received, this is a major social platform
  • Online comments: depending on your topic, comments can be a useful source of information – if not the information contained in the comment so much as about it!
     
  • Video games: if you’re studying media, video games shouldn't be forgotten!
     

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