Types of Sources - COM 151 - Intro to Mass Media - Library at Western Colorado University

Information Timeline

	Description
Sources	Television, Web, Radio
Characteristics	Basic facts. Information is shared during the event or immediately following the event. Details may be sparse, biased, and/or unsubstantiated. Updates and corrections to information are made in subsequent posts (often hours later or the next day).
Type of Information	General
Author	Journalists (not specialists in the field of study); General public
Audience	General public
Locating Tools	Web search engines, social networks
Examples	Twitter, Facebook, various blogs, KBUT Community Radio, local news programs on ABC, NBC, CBS, etc.

	Description
Sources	Newspapers, television, radio, web
Characteristics	General facts. Details may still be sparse, biased, and/or unsubstantiated. May include more geographical and background information. Also tends to include a few more details about the identities of key people and historical relevance. More accurate than previous reports because details have begun to be verified.
Type of Information	Varies. Some articles include analysis, statistics, photographs, editorials, and opinions.
Author	Journalists (not specialists in the field of study)
Audience	General public
Locating Tools	Web search engines, newspapers, periodical databases
Examples	New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, http://abcnews.go.com/, NPR, etc.

	Description
Sources	Popular and mass market magazines
Characteristics	General facts. Details may still be sparse, biased, and/or unsubstantiated. May include more geographical and background information. Also tends to include more details about the identities of key people and historical relevance. More accurate than previous reports because details have begun to be verified.
Type of Information	Journalists (not specialists in the field of study)
Author	Journalists (not specialists in the field of study)
Audience	General public to the knowledgeable layperson
Locating Tools	Web search engines, print magazines, periodical databases
Examples	Time, Newsweek, U.S. News & World Report, The Nation, National Review, etc.

	Description
Sources	Trade magazines and scholarly journals
Characteristics	Articles written and reviewed by experts in a field. Often presents new research in the area.
Type of Information	Research results, detailed and theoretical discussion. Bibliography included.
Author	Specialists and scholars in the field
Audience	Scholars, specialists, students
Locating Tools	General and subject-specific databases
Examples	Music Educators Journal, Journal of Environmental Engineering, Journal of Chemical Education, etc.

Locating Tools	Library catalog, general and subject-specific databases, reference sources
	Description
Sources	Scholarly journals, books, conference proceedings. Reference sources such as encyclopedias.
Characteristics	Includes deep research, hindsight, secondary analysis, and very specific details of the events, people, and places.
Type of Information	In-depth coverage of a topic, edited compilations of scholarly articles relating to a topic. Bibliography included.
Author	Specialists and scholars in the field
Audience	General public, scholars, specialists, students
Examples	Encyclopedia Britannica, published conference proceedings, various books, Journal of Terrorism Research, Engineering Journal, etc.

Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources

Primary Sources
Description:	Examples:
First-hand accounts of events. Original ideas. Empirical observations or research.	Diaries Interviews Letters Original works of art Photographs Speeches Works of literature

Secondary Sources
Description:	Examples:
Analyze and interpret historical events or creative works. Provides commentary on a primary source. Offers an interpretation of information found in primary sources.	Biographies Dissertations Journal articles Monographs Indexes, abstracts, bibliographies (used to locate a secondary source)

Tertiary Sources
Description:	Examples:
Presents summaries or condensed versions of primary and secondary sources. Rarely contains any original material.	Dictionaries Encyclopedias Handbooks

Samples
Subject	Primary	Secondary	Tertiary
Art	Monet's "Port-Goulphar, Belle-Île" painting	Critical review of the painting	Encyclopedia article about Monet
Literature	Jane Eyre novel	Article about portrayal of disability in Brontë's novels	Companion to the Victorian Novel
Music	O mie porpore più belle, RV 685	Article studying the tonal disjunction between arias and recitatives	Reference article from Grove Music Online about Italian cantatas

This page is modified from Virginia Tech's Library Website, Retrieved December 20, 2016. Link updated May 29, 2018.

Primary Sources
Description:	Examples:
First-hand accounts of events. Original ideas. Empirical observations or research.	Interviews Raw data Newspaper reports about events Notes (i.e. from a psychologist)

Secondary Sources
Description:	Examples:
Analyze and interpret conditions or events. Provides commentary on a primary source. Offers an interpretation of information found in primary sources.	Dissertations Journal articles Monographs News commentaries Magazine articles

Tertiary Sources
Description:	Examples:
Presents summaries or condensed versions of primary and secondary sources. Rarely contains any original material.	Dictionaries Encyclopedias Handbooks

Samples
Subject	Primary	Secondary	Tertiary
Anthropology	Interview with member of the Hopi tribe	Book about Hopi land disputes	Encyclopedia of Native American tribes
Psychology	Clinical case notes	Article about treatments for social anxiety disorder	Handbook of Psychology
History	Civil War diary	Article about the Battle of Antietam	Chronological Encyclopedia of the Civil War
Political Science	Geneva Conventions	Article about prisoners of war	List of treaties

This page is modified from Virginia Tech's Library Website, Retrieved December 20, 2016. Link updated May 29, 2018.

Primary Sources
Description:	Examples:
Scientists present results of research. Original documents. First-hand accounts.	Conference proceedings Interviews Journals Lab notebooks Patents Preprints Technical reports Theses and dissertations

Secondary Sources
Description:	Examples:
Analyze and interpret scientific research. Compare various ideas & theories. Summary of existing state of knowledge.	Monographs Reviews Textbooks Treatises

Tertiary Sources
Description:	Examples:
Presents summaries or condensed versions of primary and secondary sources. Rarely contains any original material.	Dictionaries Encyclopedias Handbooks Tables Compilations

Samples
Subject	Primary	Secondary	Tertiary
Environmental Science	Case study on sustainable energy	Book on sustainable practices in communities	Encyclopedia article about alternative energy
Chemistry	Chemical patent	Book on chemical reactions	Dictionary of chemistry
Geology	Research study on geology and sediment properties	Book on geology along the Gold Rush trail	Encyclopedia of geology
Biology	Research study about chemotherapy and lymph node dissection	Book on the biology of plants	Handbook of the biology of aging
Mathematics	Euclid's Elements	Book about Euclid's life & work	Handbook of Mathematics

This page is modified from Virginia Tech's Library Website, Retrieved December 20, 2016. Link updated May 29, 2018.

Types of Periodicals

Types of Periodicals
	Magazine	Academic Journal	Trade Journal*
Audience	General public	Scholars, researchers, students	Professionals in the field
References	Rare	Required	Occasionally
Author	Journalist	Scholar in the field	Professional in the field
Review policy	Edited for format & style by the magazine's editorial staff	Peer-reviewed - evaluated by experts in the field for content, format & style	Evaluated by editorial staff, who may be experts in the field, for format & style *Some trade journals are also peer-reviewed
Appearance	Colorful, glossy, many photographs & advertisements	Lengthy articles, often including charts & graphs, with few or no advertisements	Advertisements are specific to the trade, contains colorful photographs, glossy
Content	An overview of a topic, personal narratives, general information, interviews, goal is to entertain or inform the general public	In-depth, primary accounts of original findings, specific information, scholarly communication	Current news, trends, products in a specific industry, practical information for professionals in the field
Language	Easily understandable to most readers	Specialized terminology or jargon of the field	Specialized terminology or jargon of the field, but not as technical as an academic journal
Example Article	Carla Hayden	"Good Fences Make Good Neighbors"...	The Road to Mastery

Other Types of Information Sources
Visit the OWL at Purdue for descriptions of more information sources, such as newspapers, reports, and pamphlets.

Librarian

Emma Schmidtke

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COM 151 - Intro to Mass Media: Types of Sources

COM 151

Class Guide: Resources for Research

Information Timeline

Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Sources

Types of Periodicals

Librarian