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LIBRARIAN
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 | General, editorial, opinions, statistics, photographs, still in reporting (not deep investigation/refection) stage. |
| 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. |
| 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. |
| 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 |
| Locating Tools | Library catalog, general and subject-specific databases, reference sources |
| Examples | Encyclopedia Britannica, published conference proceedings, various books, Journal of Terrorism Research, Engineering Journal, etc. |
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This page is modified from Virginia Tech's Library Website, Retrieved December 20, 2016. Link updated May 29, 2018.
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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.
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This page is modified from Virginia Tech's Library Website, Retrieved December 20, 2016. Link updated May 29, 2018.
| 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 |
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