FYS: Coming of Age in a Changing World (Corpus): Information Sources

Encyclopedias, Dictionaries, Handbooks

• established information based on the work of subject experts
• the information can be a little older (in print publications) - this may be a concern for fields such as medicine and technology

Scholarly Journals, Theses, and Dissertations

• reports of original research and study made available to the scholarly community to advance the study of the discipline
• usually reviewed by experts on the subject (peer reviewed)
• often cutting edge, but not yet verified (at the time of publication)

Books

• in depth look at a topic by an individual author (or small group of authors) or an edited volume with chapters by multiple authors
• may contain a bias

Newspapers, Trade Journals, and Popular Magazines

• reports of news relevant to the audience for the publication
• a little removed from the original research, event, organization, etc.
• may contain a bias and/or may not present a complete picture of the topic

Blogs, Wikis, and Websites

• may contain useful information and/or links to useful information
• may or may not be written by experts on the subject
• may contain a bias and/or may not present a complete picture of the topic
• may be trying to sell you some thing or some idea

Secondary sources describe or analyze or report on primary sources.  Although these terms are relative, the following examples might be helpful:

Primary sources can be letters, research results, works of art, speeches, patents, and original manuscripts and documents.

Secondary sources can be encyclopedia entries, book reviews, news articles, and reports.