Types of Information Sources

 

Web Sites:

  • vary in length, 
  • can provide broad information/highlights on a topic, or they can focus on a specific aspect of a topic,
  • can be very current if they’re regularly updated,
  • are available on practically any topic,
  • are not necessarily reviewed by editors or subject specialists before being posted to the web, though some are. 

 

The kind of information you can find on web sites includes:  company/institution information, breaking news, government data, primary documents, studies, information from groups representing different points of view, and photos.

 

What’s NOT available on the web? 

 

Generally, books and magazine, journal & newspaper articles are not available for free on websites you find using Google or other search engines.  The kinds of books that are available for free on websites tend to be those whose copyrights have expired or that have been published by the government. 

 

Newspaper and magazine websites may allow you to read a few articles for free (for example, www.washingtonpost.com allows you to read the most recent 60 days for free), but usually require payment for most other articles.  If you need (free) books and articles for your research – and good research does include information from a variety of sources – you’ll need to find/use them through the library home page (www.nvcc.edu/library).

 

You will learn Web search strategies in Unit 3.

 

 

Books:

  • are usually long (sometimes a few hundred pages),
  • can be very comprehensive, and cover many aspects of a topic,
  • may not be as current as magazines, newspapers, or web pages can be, due to the length of time it takes to get books published, 
  • are typically reviewed by editors and subject specialists before being published,
  • are frequently good sources for historical information,
  • can put a topic in context.

 

Most books at NOVA libraries are available in print, though we do also purchase some books online.  You will learn more about how to search for and find books in Unit 4.

 

Periodical Articles 

Periodicals include magazines, newspapers, and journals, resources that are published periodically throughout the year.  Periodicals may be published daily (e.g., The Washington Post), weekly (e.g., Newsweek), monthly (e.g., Washingtonian), or quarterly (e.g., African American Review).

 

Periodical articles:

 

  • are usually relatively short, but could be anywhere from a few paragraphs to 40 or 50 pages.
  • tend to focus on a specific aspect of a topic; for example, a search for articles on the environment may get you articles on such topics as: baselines for carbon emissions in India and China, policies on wind power in different states, or environmental effects of electricity deregulation.
  • can provide very current information. 
  • are typically reviewed by editors and/or subject specialists before being published. 

 

NOVA subscribes to most of its periodicals (thousands of them!) through online databases, though we still subscribe to some in print.  You will learn more about how to find these periodical articles in Unit 5.