An effective way to focus your search for information is to first determine your information need.
Do you need...
Consider also...
Determining what you need (books, journal articles, newspaper articles, encyclopedias) will help focus where you should be searching.
Source Type |
PublicationTime Frame |
Use For |
Characteristics |
Authors |
Where to Find |
|
Social Media |
Seconds, Minutes |
Immediacy. Breaks the story. |
Unedited. Information may be incomplete, false, or biased |
Anyone |
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok |
|
Multi-Media |
Days, Months, Years |
Background information, news, opinion, primary sources, pop culture. | An integration of text, graphics, still and moving images, animation, sounds, and any other medium where information can be stored, transmitted and processed digitally. |
Anyone, Professionals |
WorldCat |
|
Newspapers |
Day |
Excellent for current information, useful for local information. Useful for historical research. | 9th-12 grade levels, current events. Does not use technical language. | Professional Journalists | Access World News |
|
Magazines |
Days, Weeks |
An overview of your topic, as well as information on popular culture and current events. | Colorful, entertaining. Contain ads. may be found on news stands. Usually cover current topics. | Professional Journalists | |
|
Conference Proceedings |
Weeks, Months |
Research in progress. Scholarly articles written by the same authors may be published at a later date. |
Academic or field-specific terminology used. Presents new research. |
Specialists in the Field, Scholars |
|
|
Scholarly Journal Articles |
Months, Year/s |
Written in technical discipline specific. Is rarely shorter than 10 pages. Includes data, tables, charts, a bibliography, and when presenting research, an introduction, methods section, results, discussion, conclusions. |
Specialists in the Field, Scholars | Academic Search Ultimate | |
|
Books
|
Year/s |
Overview of topic, in-depth coverage of topic. Check book's index and table of contents to locate information relevant to your topic. | Lengthy; may be an in-depth fully developed argument, or may be an edited collection of authored articles. May be published by a general publisher (HarperCollins) or by an academic press (in which case they would be called a monograph). | Specialists, Journalists, Scholars | |
|
Encyclopedias or Reference Sources |
Years |
Topic ideas, overview of topic, background information, quick facts. Check their bibliographies to identify additional core sources of information. | Articles are often compilations from many contributors. Authoritative and concise information sources. They provide comprehensive background information on a topic. |
Specialists, Scholars |
|
|
Government Documents |
Year/s |
Statistics, overview of topic, quick facts, in-depth analysis, research reports. | Government documents may be found in many forms: they are books, pamphlets, or other materials published by a federal, state, or local government agency. | Government Agency Staff, Researchers |
|
|
Webpages |
Seconds, Minutes, Months, Years |
Topic ideas, overview of topic, opinions, information from organizations and commercial businesses. | Wide variety of source types. Offers many perspectives. Evaluate sources carefully as many are not fact-checked. |
Anyone |
Google or Google Scholar |