Identifying the type of source you are using can help in evaluating the source.
With any research project you should consult and compare multiple sources. One reason to do this is to compare the information you find. Another reason is to overcome the shortcomings of a source by using another source type. For example, you may find a newspaper article which provides relevant and timely facts on your topic. However, the newspaper article is short and offers limited information and no analysis. Using a more in-depth source like a book or journal article will help you balance your research.
Source types differ in their publication schedules and this affects their currency and content. For research topics that require current information you will want to consult source types with shorter publication schedules. If you need information sources that offer more comprehensive coverage, research, or in-depth analysis look for source types with longer publication schedules.
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Publication Time Line |
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Source Type |
Newspapers, Websites |
Magazines |
Trade Journals & Scholarly Journals |
Books |
Reference Books |
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Publication Schedule |
Immediate to one week |
Week or more |
Month or more |
Year or more |
Years later |
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