Scholarship is a conversation refers to the idea of sustained discourse within a community of scholars or thinkers, with new insights and discoveries occurring over time as a result of competing perspectives and interpretations.

(from the ACRL;s Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education)

To get a better idea of what kind of sources to use in your research, you can think of different types of sources and the information they provide as a pyramid.

Imagine your your research as building a pyramid, where each block represents a different type of source contributing to the strength and integrity of your work. By themselves, the individual blocks that make up a pyramid aren't a solid structure, but together the result is an awesome, well-supported structure. Similarly, your research is constructed and made stronger by synthesizing information gathered from a variety of sources. By building your paper like a pyramid of sources, you'll create a sturdy and comprehensive research paper that stands the test of scrutiny.

Remember to check your assignment guidelines or speak with your instructor to understand the specific types of resources required for your paper or project. 

Start at the base

Just like the lower levels of a pyramid require the most "foundational" stone blocks, the sources that have the most detailed information and have a wider time perspective are at the bottom of the information pyramid. Scholarly articles and books take the longest to read but are the most detailed, while magazines, newspapers, television programs, and online sources are often the fastest to read but may contain less specific information and a more general overview.