Your reference list needs a variety of sources. What does the word variety mean?
Dictionary.com says, “a number of different types of things, especially ones in the same general category.” So a variety of sources means a number of different sources in the same reference list.
What does a “variety” of sources look like?
Books – See the school library. Go to www.amazon.cn. Take your passport to the Nanjing Public Library at Daxingong and get a library card.
Journal Articles – You can find these using the new EBSCOhost researching tool. Also, some peer-reviewed, professional journals are now publishing online, for free!
Newspapers – Check to which papers our library subscribes. Also check online – most of the major newspapers also have online versions.
Magazines – Check with Mr. Lockwood and Mrs. Rinker to see which magazines the school subscribes. You can also purchase magazines from the iTunes store through In-App purchasing.
Videos – These can be online (like YouTube) or they can be DVDs.
Audio Files – These can be music files or a CD. Last year a student studied how music soothes insomniacs and used audio files in her reference list.
Encyclopedias – Sometimes you need to start off by introducing your topic, and what better way to find a short, concise definition than through our local encyclopedias. Check with Mrs. Rinker.
Personal Communications – According to the APA manual, you can include a personal communication in your reference list if you provide a word-for-word transcription; otherwise, put your communications into your appendices.
Technical Reports – Doing a report on chemical properties? Technical reports are good sources of information.
Informally Published Works – IBO guidelines and manuals count as informally published works. If you have defined your AOI or have quoted about your AOI, you also need to cite the IBO.
Conference Papers / Lecture Notes – Many big conferences will post the speeches given. Some universities (e.g. Stanford) publish their lecture notes for free.
Government Reports, Acts & Laws – Some countries publish their reports, acts, and laws online, for free. I know that Canada, America, and China all do this. If you want to see how your topic is considered by specific countries, then check online.