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
