Information Sources: Choosing and Finding the Right Source

Use this guide to help you make a decision about which information source is best.  If you are deciding on a topic or need background information on a topic, start with an encyclopedia.  If you want in-depth coverage of a topic, look for a book.  If you are looking for current thinking about a topic, try a magazine or newspaper. 

If you are ready to do intense research on a narrow or specific subject, select peer-reviewed articles from academic journals in the databases. 

Collections of brief, factual articles on various topics. Great starting point for research to gather background information about your topic.

• Usually organized alphabetically by topic.
• Writers are experts in their field, but this is NOT scholarly information.  
• Two types of encyclopedias:
  • General - Covers all topics
    • Example:
      • Encyclopedia Brittanica
      • ​Columbia Encyclopedia
  • Subject - Focuses on one field or topic such as Religion.  Best bet for college-level background research.
    • Example
      • Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History
      • Encyclopedia of Bioethics

• A collection of fairly short articles reporting on news, trends, events.
• Written by journalists and staff writers.
• NOT scholarly.  "Popular" press.
• Very current.  Usually published daily; sometimes weekly.
• Audience: the average adult; available at stores and newstands.

Examples:

• The Boston Globe
• The New York Times
• The Chronicle of Higher Education

• A collection of easy-to-read articles
• Often has images and advertising
• Articles written by journalists or staff writers.
• NOT scholarly.  Sometimes they are called "popular."
• Usually very current information.  Magazines often publish on a monthly or weekly basis.
• Audience: the average adult reader; available at bookstores and newstands.

Examples:

• Time
• National Geographic
• Sports Illustrated
• Psychology Today
• Consumer Reports
• Prevention
• Atlantic

• A collection of articles on news, trends, and developments within a specific industry.
• NOT scholarly.
• Audience is workers within a specific profession.
• Advertising is specific to the industry.
• Most industries have trade journals.  Some are published by trade associations.
• Most are not available at newstands.

• A collection of serious articles typically longer in length (10+ pages).
• Little or no images or advertising.
• Focused on a specific discipline such as medicine or art.
• Written by researchers and experts in the discipline.  They are called scholars.
• Audience: other scholars or researchers in the same field.  Usually found in libraries. Hardly ever available at a bookstore or newstand.
• Based on other research so a lengthy list of references is included.
• SCHOLARLY
  • also called peer-reviewed, academic, or refereed journals

Examples:

• The New England Journal of Medicine
• Nature
• The Academy of Management Review

• A nonfiction book either provides general information, a broad overview of a topic, or a deep analysis of a subject.
• There are books on every topic.
• Online (ebooks) or in print.
• Students should look for books that bring together all the information on one topic to support a claim or thesis.
• Books can be scholarly or popular.
• How to identify scholarly books?  Evaluate the author and the publisher.
  • Does the author hold a doctorate or teach at a university?
  • Has the author written other important books on the subject?
  • Did the author receive fellowships or grants to support the writing of the book?
  • Is the book published by a university press such as Johns Hopkins University Press?