What is a Source?
Origin
the place, person, or thing through which something has come into being or from which it has been obtained
Provider of Information
a person, organization, book, or other text that supplies information or evidence
Work on which another is based
A creation that forms the basis of or inspiration for a later work, e.g. a story or work of art
– Encarta Dictionary
Being aware of the type of source you are working from will impact on your research. For example, if you consider a visit to an exhibition, there are a range of possible sources you could reference. Each source will offer different perspectives on the exhibition. It is important to consider your choice of source when researching.
To help you think more about the range of possible sources, and how to reference them in writing, try looking at Infosmart’s examples of bibliographic entries here.
Research Log
In order to develop and build on our visual research and ideas we make use of sketchbooks, blogs and journals in the studio, and these methods of recording sources are clearly an essential part of the creative process. Much of your research will develop from reading. There are different ways of recording research information, but whether you use a blog, journal or filing system consider the following research log template to build an effective record of the source you have engaged with.
Research Log Template
| Author |
| Title |
| Place Publisher Year |
| What kind of book/website/source is this? |
| Why did I read this ? |
| What did I find out from it? |
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