How do you know if you have enough sources?

[XemaSab]

I am working on a project about a religious group that involves a lot of original research.

The amount of written material that has been written about my subject is fairly small, like 40 books or so about their beliefs plus probably another 10 or so background books.

Since they're a religious group, though, they have thousands of blog entries and sermons online.

If I stick to the books, I don't think I will have enough source material. If I go to the blogs and sermons, there's just so much.

How do you know when you have enough to go with and how do you know if you need more? Also, how do you know when to just let it go and assume you have enough stuff to go with?

[NYC_SKP]

1. This depends on your audience, I suppose.

If it's for a post-graduate program, your adviser would know.

If it's for a different academic purpose, you might be able to compare your work to similar presentations and identify a range, especially if you can check a similarly obscure topic.

Personally, the quality and variety of sources means more to me than the quantity.

If you feel the need to augment your traditional published sources with blogs and/or sermons, you might be able to identify those with the greatest circulation or that are most representative.

Wish I could help more.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. blog posts can be considered primary sources

in the modern age. What you are essentially looking at are diary entries. Just make sure to source them correctly and include the date you sourced them at. The Chicago Manual of Style could help here.

[macbug]

3. If you have to ask that question you are in more trouble than you think.

One) you do not know your audience.
Two) you do not know the subject.
Three) you are not qualified to write on the subject.
Four) your opinion and or knowledge of the subject is so limited you do not have confidence in writing about it.
Five) you are jesting and seeing how many of us are foolish enough to take the question seriously.
Six) my opinion means nothing to you and I am the one who should check his sources.
Seven) do what I do, stick to fiction and make it up as you go and you can always be accused of plagiarism, but since you have no sources they can never convict you.

[XemaSab]

5. Welcome to DU

[Warpy]

4. Can you document/prove your point with a small bibliography?

If you can't, then you need more sources.

[XemaSab]

6. The problem I'm facing is that I want to be comprehensive

and I want enough material to support my main ideas, but if I look at EVERYTHING then I'll never get done.