The Academic Professional Organizations: Academic (or research) information is organized within academic disciplines and usually governed by a professional organization. For example, if you were an historian you would probably be a member of several professional organizations dedicated to teh study of history. You might also be a member of organizations that studied so aspect of history, say the American Civil War. Within that organization are scholars who devote their research lives to studying the topic. They then write scholarly articles that are published in journals associated with the organization. Historically, this has made up the bulk of what we understand to be scholarly/research information.
The University: Most universities also are organized around academic disciplines. As a professor you might belong to the Economics Department. Your colleagues will all be economists. You teach courses in economics and focus your research in that area. The department might also have a publication that publishes your work before it goes through the formal publication cycle. The opportunity to share your early thinking on a topic and get colleagues' feedback is an important aspect of scholarly work.
The Research Labs: Many researchers, particularly in the sciences, also run their own research labs. They are meticulous in recording data, findings, and related information about the work of their labs. Their findings form the basis of scientific discovery and eventually the publication of scholarly articles in their professional journals.
Government Agencies: Agencies with the federal government are also a key source of academic information. Agencies such as the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Education all provide grant funds to support research in theory respective areas. A key requirement of most grant funding is the publication of research results.
Other Sources: Most recently institutional repositories, Open Educational Resources (OERs), and even social media are providing links to quality research information.
What Does This Mean For You?
As a student with an assignment requiring research any of these locations might be an excellent source for research-quality information. As a student with a research assignment, your task in finding information will be to be able to recognize scholarly information, know where to find it, and be familiar with the tools you can use to access the information you need.
