Why is it important to use articles in your research?

Google is okay some of the time, but there are some serious drawbacks to using Google, the most important one being authority.  How do you know who really wrote the articles you find on the Internet?...

Periodical articles have certain characteristics that make them good for doing research:

	They are very up-to-date.  Newspapers are the most current, magazines are next and journals are slightly behind the other two, but still very current.
	In most cases, you know who the author is.  In the case of newspapers and magazines, this is not always true, but if you use reputable newspapers and magazines, you can be fairly certain that the information is acceptable as an editor looks through every single article before it gets published in these sources.  In journals, you always know the name of the author, and often, the authors' qualifications are also listed.
	In the case of journal articles, there is always a list of references at the end of the article.  The references tell you not only where the author got his or her information, but they also verify the accuracy of the information in the article.

So, basically, what we're saying is that like the Internet, periodical articles are up-to-date, but UNLIKE the Internet, periodical articles are more trust-worthy and potentially more accurate than articles you find on the Internet. 

No serious researcher does all of her research on the Internet.  Periodical articles usually form the backbone of her research.