INFORMATION SOURCES

Modern society offers a wide array of sources of information. Listed below are the most common information sources existing today, which may be available in print, audio-visual, and/or electronic format.

• Books: one of the most common sources of information, ideas, and entertainment. Throughout human history, from the Bible to Hitler’s Mein Kampf, books have been the vehicle for conveying the most honorable as well as the most contemptible accomplishments and speculations of the human mind.

Books are divided into two categories: fiction and nonfiction:

1. Fiction: a narrative work of the imagination, i.e. a story.
Includes novels, short stories, drama, and poetry.


Fiction

2. Nonfiction: books that explain or comment upon facts and reality.
Examples include biography, history, scientific works, etc.


Nonfiction

• Reference Sources: works that provide a variety of factual, statistical, or other descriptive information, often in a brief or summarized form. Examples include encyclopedias, dictionaries, almanacs, directories, etc.


Reference source

• Periodicals (Serials): the term used to refer to newspapers, magazines, and journals. They are called “periodicals” (or “serials”) because they are published periodically, i.e. at regular intervals -- daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly. Newspapers and magazines offer information geared to the general reader, whereas journals usually offer more scholarly analysis and discussion.

Journal

Magazine

Newspaper

• Websites: A Website is a coherent collection of Web pages that are linked together and reside on that part of the Internet known as the World Wide Web (aka the “Web”). Millions of Websites exist, offering vast amounts of information of varying credibility and worth.


Website

• Specialized Sources: A variety of specialized sources exist that provide unique, scholarly, or historically valuable information. Examples include:

Government documents
Conference proceedings/papers
Dissertations
Private papers of notable persons
Records of an institution
Diaries, original manuscripts, letters, photographs
Brochures, pamphlets, maps

• People: Individuals with unique or specialized expertise or experience are often extremely valuable sources of information.


people

The above information sources differ in terms of the kinds of information they provide. It is important, therefore, when doing research, to choose a source that’s likely to provide the information you seek.