There are many types of information sources. The following table containstraditional source types often used in college-level assignments:
News Sources | Popular Magazines | Trade Journals | Scholarly Journals | Academic Books | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Purpose | Inform about current events and topics. Provide basic factsanddetails. | Inform and/or entertain about current or recent events andtopics. | Inform and report on news, trends, andissues relevant to an industry or profession. | Inform andreport on research done by scholars andexperts. Cover specialized academic topics. | Provide a thorough, comprehensive examination of academic topics. |
Author | Journalists, freelance writers, or editorial staff. Brief editing process. | Journalists, freelance writers, or editorial staff Brief editing process. | Journalists, freelance writers, editorial staff, or industry practitioners. Brief editing process. | Subject specialists and experts. Extensive editing process. Usually peer-reviewed.* | Subject specialists andexperts. Extensive editing process. |
Audience | Anyone. Appeals to non-specialists. | Anyone Appeals to non-specialists. | Those who work in a particular field or profession. | Researchers, scholars, and higher education students. | Researchers, scholars, and higher education students. |
Other Characteristics | Brief, published and/or updated daily. Often a good source for editorials or opinion pieces. | Short or medium-length articles. Published weekly or monthly. Often a good source for features, opinion pieces, and interviews. | Usually short or medium-length articles. May include brief reference lists or works cited. Usually published monthly. | Specialized andlengthy articles. Include reference lists or works cited. Takes months to publish due to extensive editing process; often published quarterly. | Include reference lists or works cited. Takes months or years to publish due to extensive research, writing, andediting process. |
* Peer review is a process in which experts from the same subject field or profession as the author evaluate a manuscript prior to acceptance for publication.
Based on a chart by Kerry Creelman, Univ. of Houston Libraries, which was adapted from content by Kristina De Voe, Temple Univ. Libraries.
