Overview
Getting Started:
What is the difference between a blog and a book?
Why does your history teacher prefer the academic Journal of American History to the popular magazine People?
Understanding how information sources differ in terms of authority, timeliness, accessibility, and changeability will help you to determine the correct information sources for your research project. View the video to find out more about the role blogs, books, journals, websites, and databases play in the Information Cycle of a news event.
Information Cycle Handout
- Information Cycle (pdf)Not sure what type of resources you need (books, websites, journals, etc.)? Learning about the information cycle can help you decide. (St.Cloud State Univ.)
The Information Cycle - Video
Watch the video The Information Cycle from The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Libraries.
Types of Sources
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Anthology : a collection of short works by different contributors or a single author or artist. |
Blog : an online source in any language or length read through a Web browser, composed of dated posts.
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Book : written to be read from beginning to end. It may be fiction or nonfiction. |
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Born Digital : refers to something created in digital form for the web. You do not know where the image itself is physically stored.
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Journal : published periodically. It is intended for members of a profession and contains: original research, critical analysis and is peer reviewed.
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Magazine : published on a regular basis and is intended for a general audience. May contain articles, interviews, reviews, analysis of current events and personal narratives and opinions. |
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Newspapers : are published daily or weekly (periodically) in print and online and contains : local news, photos, investigative reports, videos, advertisements, reviews, and editorials.
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Pamphlets or Brochures : are "nonperiodical," that is, not published on a regular schedule like a magazine or journal. They may be posted online in a pdf format or obtained physically from local organizations.
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Reference Work : (print book, e-book or database) is organized to provide direct access to: factual information, statistics, overview of subject matter, maps and definitions.
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Work of Visual Art : An object (painting, photograph, art object) that you actually see in a museum, library archive, personal collection or a public space.
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Website or Web Page : is an online source of any length or language. Using a Web browser, you can view a Web page as a stand-alone page or part of a collection of web pages.
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Interviews : Can provide knowledge of subject matter, provide referrals to others, excellent source of primary information.
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