Newspapers (News sources)
- Provides very current information about events, people, or places at the time they are published
- Useful for information on current events or to track the development of a story as it unfolds
- Examples: The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN.com
Magazines
- Include articles on diverse topics of popular interest and current events
- Articles typically written by journalists or professional writers
- Geared toward the general public
- Examples: Time, Newsweek, National Geographic
Academic Journals (Peer-reviewed or scholarly journals)
- Include articles written by and for specialists/experts in a particular field
- Articles must go through a peer review process before they're accepted for publication
- Articles tend to have a narrower focus and more analysis of the topic than those in other types of publications
- Include cited references or footnotes at the end of research articles
- Examples: Journal of Communication, The Historian, Journal of the American Medical Association
Trade Publications
- Written for a specific industry or trade, contains information specifically for that trade
- Often looks more like a magazine
- Contains ads for products related to the industry
- Examples: Advertising Age, Mathematics Teacher
Books
- Cover virtually any topic, fact or fiction
- Useful for the complete background on an issue or an in-depth analysis of a theory or person
- Can take years to publish, so may not always include the most current information
- Examples: The Politics of Gun Control, To Kill a Mockingbird, Hemingway and Faulkner in their Time
Reference Books
- Include facts, figures, addresses, statistics, definitions, dates, etc.
- Useful for finding factual or statistical information or for a brief overview of a particular topic.
- Examples: dictionaries, encyclopedias, directories
