Information Packages (Sources of Information)

Information is delivered to us in print and electronically in several different ways. These can be distinguished as different types of information packages. The criteria used to distinguish them is Time Frame, Scope, Review (Evaluation) Process, Suitability for Research, and Accessibility.

Be sure you know which type(s) of information package(s) you may use for an assignment before you begin your research. See a comparison of some of the following Sources of Information, courtesy of the University of Texas System Digital Library.

Once you understand the different ways in which information is delivered and you know which type(s) of information package(s) you may use for a research assignment, learn how to find them. What are the differences between information packages that comprise the Library's print and electronic (Web) collections and those that comprise the Web for the general public? See The Library and The Web, again courtesy of the University of Texas System Digital Library.

[Books]   [Reference Sources]   [Articles]   [Government Publications]  
[Web Documents]   [Television and Radio]   [Movies]   [Music]  

See Research Strategy

and

Evaluating Sources of Information.

Books

Time Frame = completed within 2 or more years

Scope = broad, thorough treatment of a topic, usually from a retrospective point of view

Review (Evaluation) Process = done by publishers' editors

Suitability for Research = very suitable for historical research. Most research-oriented books are works of non-fiction (for example, textbooks). However, if the research topic is literary, works of fiction (for example, novels) are very suitable.

Accessibility = an electronic (Web-based) library catalog lists which books are in a library; eBooks (electronic books) are books distributed on the Web, for profit or not

Reference Sources (for example, encyclopedias)

Time Frame = completed within several years

Scope = brief, factual, overview or introductory treatment of one, several, or many topic(s)

Review (Evaluation) Process = done by publishers' editors

Suitability for Research = very suitable if little or nothing is known about a research topic

Accessibility = print and electronic versions (on the Web, for profit or not) comprise library reference collections

Articles

Articles can appear in newspapers, trade publications, popular magazines, and scholarly journals, four types of periodicals, so called because they are issued on a regular or "periodic" basis. Newspaper and popular magazine articles are intended for the general public. Trade publication and scholarly journal articles are written by and intended for business or industry professionals or experts in specific disciplines.

For more information on different types of periodicals, see Periodicals Comparison Chart: Scholarly Journals, Popular Magazines, and Trade Publications.

Popular magazine articles tend to have fewer notes or bibliographic references, more pictures, and more advertisements than scholarly journal articles.

Compare Popular Magazines with Scholarly Journals, once again courtesy of the University of Texas System Digital Library.

Time Frame = completed within one or more days (newspaper articles) to one or more weeks (trade publication and magazine articles) to 6 months or more (journal articles)

Scope = focused, brief (newspaper articles, most trade publication articles, most magazine articles) vs in-depth (some trade publication articles, some magazine articles, journal articles) treatment of a topic, usually from a contemporary point of view

Review (Evaluation) Process = done by newspaper, trade publication, or magazine editors (for newspaper, trade publication or magazine articles) or by scholarly expert peers for journal articles

Suitability for Research = suitability depends first on which type(s) of articles (popular vs. scholarly) may be used. If both may be used, scholarly articles are more research oriented.

Accessibility = libraries subscribe to print and electronic (Web-based) periodical indexes (which list articles in periodicals, sometimes providing a summary or abstract of the articles) and Web-based periodical databases (which not only list articles, but also provide full text of the articles and, sometimes, associated images such as pictures); libraries also subscribe to periodicals that can be accessed directly from publishers' Web site

Government Publications

For Time Frame and Scope, see all of the information packages listed above.

Review (Evaluation) Process = sometimes done by government officials

Suitability for Research = Government Publications can be popular or scholarly, so their suitability may depend on how in-depth the research needs to be.

Accessibility = a library's government publications may be listed in its Web-based catalog, or they may be accessed using special print and electronic resources; many government publications may be accessed directly from government agencies' Web sites

Web Documents

Time Frame = completed within as little as hours (or less)

for Scope, see Articles

Review (Evaluation) Process = rarely done at all

Suitability for Research = although there are many research oriented Web documents, there are many more that are not, and it can be difficult to distinguish between those that are and those that are not

Accessibility = the visible Web (the Web for the general public), using search engines and subject directories, or the invisible Web (invisible to general purpose search engines and subject directories), using special resources, including library resources

Email, Chat and other Types of Interactive Communication

Time Frame = completed within seconds or minutes

Scope = very brief treatment of a topic, from a very contemporary point of view

Review (Evaluation) Process = done only for email moderated distribution lists (by the lists' moderators)

Suitability for Research = usually only if the content and context is scholarly (for example, communicating with a colleague about a research project)

Accessibility = the Web (in addition to special computer programs)

Television and Radio

Time Frame = completed within as little as seconds or minutes

for Scope, see Articles

Review (Evaluation) Process = sometimes done by television or radio producers

Suitability for Research = usually only if the research topic is directly related to mass media such as television or radio

Accessibility = television, radio, and, sometimes, the Web

Movies

Time Frame = completed within months to a year or more

Scope = broad treatment of a topic, usually from a contemporary point of view

Review (Evaluation) Process = done by movie directors and producers

for Suitability for Research, see Television and Radio

Accessibility = (home) movie theaters and occasionally, the Web

Music

Time Frame = completed within weeks to months

Scope = focused, very brief treatment of a topic, usually from a contemporary point of view

Review (Evaluation) Process = done by music producers

Suitability for Research = very suitable if the the research topic is related to a type of music or one or more musician(s)

Accessibility = various music players, including those on the Web