Sources of Information
Sources of Information
Sources of Information
Sourc
es
Television, Newspapers,
radio, web TV, radio, web
Trade Scholarly
Popular and magazines and journals,
mass market scholarly books,
magazines journals conference
proceedings
Reference
sources such as
encyclopedias
Audie General public General public General public Scholar, General public
nce to specialists, to specialists
knowledgeable students
layperson Scholars,
students,
laypersons
Locati Web search Web search Web search General and Library
ng tools, social tools, tools, subject-specific catalog, general
tools networks newspaper and newspaper and databases and subject-
periodical periodical specific
databases databases databases
Library
reference
collection
Types of information sources
Information can come from virtually anywhere media, blogs, personal
experiences, books, journal and magazine articles, expert opinions,
encyclopedias, and web pages and the type of information you need
will change depending on the question you are trying to answer. Look at
the following sources of information. Notice the similarities between
them.
Type
Magazine
Academic journal
Database
Newspapers
Addison
Books
Encyclopedia
Web site
Almanacs
Almanacs are publications containing useful facts and statistical
information; usually published annually. Some almanacs are general, like
the Book of Facts in MasterFILE Premier from EBSCOhost while others
are subject-specific, such as Astronomical Almanac Online . Search
Addison for Almanacs to see a listing.
Bibliographies
Bibliographies are lists of books, articles, and other materials about a
particular subject or by a particular author. Entries in this list usually
follow a specified format such as the APA or CBE style guides and are
sometimes accompanied by an annotation. A bibliography is generally
found at the end of a book or article, but may comprise the entire article
or book in and of itself. Search Addison by subject for your topic and
include the term bibliography to find examples. You can search entries
from bibliographies in Summon to see if we have access to the source.
Biographical resources
Biographical resources include encyclopedic entries, articles, books, and
videos about a person, group, or organization. They provide historical
information about a person, lists of authored works, relationships to other
people and groups. and analysis of impact on a field. Search Addison by
subject for your topic and include the termbiography to find sources.
Many subject-specific databases provide biographies; check their
advanced search screen for limiting options.
Dictionaries
Dictionaries can be both lists of words and definition and also
alphabetical lists of entries on a topic. Similar to encyclopedias, these
subject-specific dictionaries provide overview articles in a field, though
not necessarily in as much depth, or with a bibliographic list of
references. Search Addison by subject for your topic with the
termdictionaries for sources.
Directories
Directories are lists of persons or organizations that are systematically
arranged. They typically provide addresses and affiliations for
individuals and addresses, officers, functions, and similar data for
organizations. Use these to compare organizations or to locate contact
information to ask for information directly from the source.
Encyclopedias
Encyclopedias provide short entries or essays on topics and typically
include a short bibliography of references for further research. Most are
subject-specific ones like or .
Handbooks
Handbooks provide short entries or chapters on a topic, offering practical
guidance or "how-to" instructions. Examples include the CRC Handbook
of Chemistry and Physics, ADA Nutrition Care Manual , and Elsevier
Handbooks in Economics .
Statistical sources
Statistics can be used to verify your position or support an assertion in
your research. Almanacs may offer some statistical information, but
statistical sources will provide more in-depth coverage. Examples
include the Statistical abstract of the United Statesand International
Monetary Fund eLibrary .
Thesauruses
Thesauruses provide lists of terms and synonyms. Examples can be
both basic English language thesauruses, like Roget's Thesaurus, that
provide synonyms for common English words, and subject-specific
thesauruses, that provide official lists of terms (or controlled vocabulary)
used in a field, such as the Thesaurus of psychological index terms.
Many databases provide thesaurus lookup capabilities for searching
their subject or descriptor index-searches. Use these to determine the
correct/official term used to describe a topic in that database or field.
While these definitions are clear, the lines begin to blur in the different
discipline areas.
In the humanities and social sciences, primary sources are the direct evidence or first-hand accounts of
events without secondary analysis or interpretation. A primary source is a work that was created or written
contemporary with the period or subject being studied. Secondary sources analyze or interpret historical
events or creative works.
Primary sources
Diaries
Interviews
Letters
Original works of art
Photographs
Speeches
Works of literature
A primary source is an original document containing firsthand information about a topic. Different fields
of study may use different types of primary sources.
Secondary sources
Biographies
Dissertations
Indexes, abstracts, bibliographies (used to locate a secondary source)
Journal articles
Monographs
A secondary source contains commentary on or discussion about a primary source. The most important
feature of secondary sources is that they offer an interpretation of information gathered from primary
sources.
Tertiary sources
Dictionaries
Encyclopedias
Handbooks
A tertiary source presents summaries or condensed versions of materials, usually with references back
to the primary and/or secondary sources. They can be a good place to look up facts or get a general
overview of a subject, but they rarely contain original material.
Examples
Subject
Art
History
Literature
Political science
In the sciences, primary sources are documents that provide full description of the original research. For
example, a primary source would be a journal article where scientists describe their research on the
genetics of tobacco plants. A secondary source would be an article commenting or analyzing the
scientists' research on tobacco.
Primary sources
Conference proceedings
Interviews
Journals
Lab notebooks
Patents
Preprints
Technical reports
Theses and dissertations
These are where the results of original research are usually first published in the sciences. This makes
them the best source of information on cutting edge topics. However the new ideas presented may not be
fully refined or validated yet.
Secondary sources
Monographs
Reviews
Textbooks
Treatises
These tend to summarize the existing state of knowledge in a field at the time of publication. Secondary
sources are good to find comparisons of different ideas and theories and to see how they may have
changed over time.
Tertiary sources
Compilations
Dictionaries
Encyclopedias
Handbooks
Tables
These types of sources present condensed material, generally with references back to the primary and/or
secondary literature. They can be a good place to look up data or to get an overview of a subject, but they
rarely contain original material.
Examples
Subjects
http://www.lib.vt.edu/help/research/information-timeline.html