KNOW YOUR INFORMATION SOURCES

NEWSPAPERS

SCHOLARLY
JOURNALS

BOOKS

-Most published daily or weekly

-Written for general public
-Summary of event (Who, What, Why,
When and How)
Why Use?
-Statistical information
-Local news coverage
-Immediate news coverage
-Photographs
-Editorials
E.g. New York Times, Trinidad
Guardian.

-Published monthly, quarterly or yearly

-Written by scholars and researchers to
communicate research findings
-Primary audience is scholars,
researchers & students
-Have a narrow subject focus
-Peer-reviewed
-Include original research, case studies
and reviews
-Provide in-depth articles
Why use?
-More in-depth examination of a subject
- Additional resources from footnotes
and bibliography
-Statistics
-Graphs
E.g. Journal of Marriage & the Family,
Child Development.

-Written by and for a variety of

audiences, from general public to
scholars
-Detailed analysis of a subject.
-Lengthy, over 100 pages
- May provide more analysis but not
as current
Why Use?
-Detailed analysis of a subject
-Multiple viewpoints often portrayed
especially in a compilation of
articles
-Additional resources found in
footnotes and bibliography
E.g. Child care options: A
workplace initiative for the 21st
Century.

-Published weekly or monthly

-Written for general audience
-Written by journalists, staff or
freelance writers
-Can provide analysis
-Many illustrations, photos, graphs
Why Use?
-Statistical information
-General overview of a current
event; more detailed
analysis than a newspaper
-Public Opinion
-Photographs
E.g. Time, Working Mother,
Parents, Newsweek.

-Created for both general and

specialized audiences
-Usually written by scholars or experts
in a field
Why Use?
-For background information on a
topic
-Statistics
-Facts
-Find out about additional sources
E.g. Types of Reference books:
Almanacs, Dictionaries,
Encyclopaedias, Statistics,
Bibliographies, Atlases.

-Audience is varied, general,

researchers, students, scholars.
-Can be written by anyone
-Content varied Online books,
personal websites, public service etc.
-Needs to be critically evaluated
Why Use?
-Immediate coverage of an event
-Access to information not available in
print
-Additional coverage of a topic/subject
area
E.g. National Network for Child
Care(www.nncc.org.)

-Knowledge of subject area

PEOPLE

-Can provide referrals

Why Use?
-Excellent source of primary information
-Can provide leads to other contacts and best information on a topic
-Possible contacts: Teachers, Professionals, Scientists, Community
Leaders and Organizations.

Popular
Magazines

Reference
Books

World Wide Web