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Short Learning Progamme: Part 1 - Building Blocks of Information Literacy: Unit 4: Information sources

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On an academic level, you should read wider than only one source on a given topic. Your lecturer will provide you with a list of sources to consult (this includes prescribed readings and recommended readings). To show your lecturer that you understand the topic, you need to use and apply a number of different readings. It is, therefore, best to know the differences between different sources. At the end of this unit you should be able to understand and reflect on information and that different types of information service different needs.

Ask the following questions:

  • Why is it important to be aware of different types of information sources?
  • Why is it important to use the right type of resource or source of information to solve an information problem?
  • Which sources are commonly used in academic works?
  • Why is it important to evaluate information before you use it?
Source Details Example Where to find?
Dictionaries 
 
  • A reference book on a particular subject and items are arranged in alphabetical order
  • Provides meaning and equivalent of words
  • Provides equivalent of words in different languages
  • Explains specific terminology
  • Format: Print or online
  • Useful to get background information or definitions
  • The Oxford English dictionary
  • Harvard dictionary of music
  • Collins English thesaurus

Library catalogue

Dictionaries are reference material and not available for loan 
unless it is in electronic format.

 

Encyclopaedias
  • A reference book giving information on general topics or specific topics.
  • Information is comprehensive and authoritative
  • Contains factual information
  • Contains illustrations
  • Format: Print or electronic
  • Useful for background and  historical information

General:

  • Encyclopaedia Britannica
  • Oxford Illustrated Encyclopedia

Subject:

  • Encyclopedia of Religion
  • Encyclopedia of Sociology

Library catalogue

Encyclopaedias are reference material and not available for loan
unless it is in electronic format. 

 

Websites
  • Connected group of pages on the World Wide Web
  • Organisational information (.org)
  • Commercial information (.com)
  • Educational information (.edu)
  • Individual information
  • Company information
  • Social media
  • Information cannot always be verified or checked for accuracy
  • Textual information
  • Visual information
  • Multimedia
  • Interactive
  • Information is devoted to a single topic or several closely related topics
  • Message boards
  • Social Media sites
  • Academic journals (etc)
World Wide Web

 

Source Details Example Where to find?
Popular magazines
  • Current information
  • Easy to understand
  • Photographs and illustrations
  • Main purpose is to entertain the reader and often aimed at a specific audience
  • Does not contain references
  • Fashion: Vogue
  • Sport: Sports Illustrator
  • Music: Rolling Stone

SA Online newspapers

 

Newspapers
  • Daily information
  • Usually contains local news and events 
  • Written by authors, journalists and witnesses
  • Aimed at the general audience.
  • Includes graphic information
  • Can be published daily or weekly

 

  • The Star
  • City Press

 

Library catalogue: SA online newspapers

 

Websites
  • Connected group of pages on the World Wide Web
  • Organisational information (.org)
  • Commercial information (.com)
  • Educational information (.edu)
  • Individual information
  • Company information
  • Social media
  • Information cannot always be verified or checked for accuracy
  • Textual information
  • Visual information
  • Multimedia
  • Interactive
  • Information is devoted to a single topic or several closely related topics
  • Message boards
  • Social Media sites
  • Academic journals (etc)
World Wide Web

 

Source Details Example Where to find?
Books
  • Thorough information
  • Well researched information
  • Primary and secondary information
  • Background and historical information
  • Bibliography of other sources
  • Information can be checked for accuracy
  • Published once and sometimes further additions
  • Format: Print or Electronic
  • Title: Urban pollution and health risks

Library catalogue

 

Academic Journals
  • In-depth information
  • Contains an abstract
  • Written in academic language
  • Aimed at the academic community
  • Articles written by experts in their study fields 
  • Peer-reviewed
  • Charts and graphs
  • Recent research on a topic
  • Bibliographies of other sources
  • Information can be checked for accuracy
  • Credentials of author/researchers are provided
  • Published in volumes and issues
  • Available in print or in an electronic journal database
  • Journal of Library and Information Science
  • Journal of American Psychology
  • Harvard Medical Journal

 

Library catalogue and databases

Websites
  • Connected group of pages on the World Wide Web
  • Organisational information (.org)
  • Commercial information (.com)
  • Educational information (.edu)
  • Individual information
  • Company information
  • Social media
  • Information cannot always be verified or checked for accuracy
  • Textual information
  • Visual information
  • Multimedia
  • Interactive
  • Information is devoted to a single topic or several closely related topics
  • Message boards
  • Social Media sites
  • Academic journals (etc)
World Wide Web

 

Tip

 

It is always better to use information coming from credible sources. 

Source Details Example Where to find?
Books
  • Thorough information
  • Well researched information
  • Primary and secondary information
  • Background and historical information
  • Bibliography of other sources
  • Information can be checked for accuracy
  • Published once and sometimes further additions
  • Format: Print or Electronic
  • Title: Urban pollution and health risks

Library catalogue

 

Encyclopaedias
  • A reference book giving information on general topics or specific topics.
  • Information is comprehensive and authoritative
  • Contains factual information
  • Contains illustrations
  • Format: Print or electronic
  • Useful for historical information

General:

  • Encyclopaedia Britannica
  • Oxford Illustrated
    Encyclopedia

Subject:

  • Encyclopedia of Religion
  • Encyclopedia of Sociology

Library catalogue

Encyclopaedias are reference material and not available for loan
unless it is in electronic format. 

 

 

Source Details Example Where to find?
Books
  • Thorough information
  • Well researched information
  • Primary and secondary information
  • Background and historical information
  • Bibliography of other sources
  • Information can be checked for accuracy
  • Published once and sometimes further additions
  • Format: Print or Electronic
Title: Urban pollution and health risks

Library catalogue

 

Scholarly/Academic
Journals
  • In-depth information
  • Contains an abstract
  • Written in academic language
  • Aimed at the academic community
  • Articles written by experts in their study fields
  • Peer-reviewed
  • Charts and graphs
  • Recent research on a topic
  • Bibliographies of other sources
  • Information can be checked for accuracy
  • Credentials of author/researchers are provided
  • Published in volumes and issues
  • Available in print or in an electronic journal database
  • Journal of Library and Information Science
  • Journal of American Psychology
  • Harvard Medical Journal

  Library catalogue and databases

  • Journals are available in print or can be found in databases 
  • (a collection of organised data that can be found by the click of a finger)
  • Databases are sorted by discipline. 
  • Best to start off with a multidisciplinary (different subject disciplines) database such as Ebsco. 
  • This will broaden your options when making a selection.

 

Source Details Example Where to find?
Popular magazines
  • Current information
  • Easy to understand
  • Photographs and illustrations
  • Main purpose is to entertain the reader and often aimed at a specific audience
  • Does not contain references
  • Fashion: Vogue
  • Sport: Sports Illustrator
  • Music: Rolling Stone

SA Online newspapers

 

Newspapers
  • Daily information
  • Usually contains local news and events 
  • Written by authors, journalists and witnesses
  • Aimed at the general audience.
  • Includes graphic information
  • Can be published daily or weekly

 

  • The Star
  • City Press

 

Library catalogue: SA online newspapers

 

Websites
  • Connected group of pages on the World Wide Web
  • Organisational information (.org)
  • Commercial information (.com)
  • Educational information (.edu)
  • Individual information
  • Company information
  • Social media
  • Information cannot always be verified or checked for accuracy
  • Textual information
  • Visual information
  • Multimedia
  • Interactive
  • Information is devoted to a single topic or several closely related topics
  • Message boards
  • Social Media sites
  • Academic journals (etc)
World Wide Web
 

 

Source Details Example Where to find?
Books
  • Thorough information
  • Well researched information
  • Primary and secondary information
  • Background and historical information
  • Bibliography of other sources
  • Information can be checked for accuracy
  • Published once and sometimes further additions
  • Format: Print or Electronic
  • Title: Urban pollution and health risks

Library catalogue

 

Encyclopaedias

 
  • A reference book giving information on general topics or specific topics.
  • Information is comprehensive and authoritative
  • Contains factual information
  • Contains illustrations
  • Format: Print or electronic
Useful for historical information

General:

  • Encyclopaedia Britannica
  • Oxford Illustrated Encyclopedia

Subject:

  • Encyclopedia of Religion
  • Encyclopedia of Sociology

Library catalogue

Encyclopaedias are reference material and not available for loan
unless it is in electronic format. 

 

Scholarly/Academic Journals
  • In-depth information
  • Contains an abstract
  • Written in academic language
  • Aimed at the academic community
  • Articles written by experts in their study fields
  • Peer-reviewed
  • Charts and graphs
  • Recent research on a topic
  • Bibliographies of other sources
  • Information can be checked for accuracy
  • Credentials of author/researchers are provided
  • Published in volumes and issues
  • Available in print or in an electronic journal database
  • Journal of Library and Information Science
  • Journal of American Psychology
  • Harvard Medical Journal

Library catalogue and databases

Journals are available in print or can be found in databases 
(a collection of organised data that can be found by the click of a finger)

Databases are sorted by discipline. Best to start off with a multidisciplinary (different subject disciplines) database such 
as Ebsco. This will broaden your options when making a selection.

 

Interviews 
  • Interviews are a good way to learn about a topic from a personal perspective.
  • When selecting a person to interview, make sure you choose someone with authority and a person who will be able to provide you with accurate information.
  • Caste Studies
  • Biographical information
  • Unique first-hand information

Books, periodicals, newspapers, Internet

Library catalogue

Newspapers
  • Daily information
  • Usually contains local news and events 
  • Written by authors, journalists and witnesses
  • Aimed at the general audience.
  • Includes graphic information
  • Can be published daily or weekly

 

  • The Star
  • City Press

 

Library catalogue: SA online newspapers

 

Websites
  • Connected group of pages on the World Wide Web
  • Organisational information (.org)
  • Commercial information (.com)
  • Educational information (.edu)
  • Individual information
  • Company information
  • Social media
  • Information cannot always be verified or checked for accuracy
  • Textual information
  • Visual information
  • Multimedia
  • Interactive
  • Information is devoted to a single topic or several closely related topics
  • Message boards
  • Social Media sites
  • Academic journals (etc)
World Wide Web
 

 

 

  • A primary source is a document or physical object which was written or created during the time under study.
  • A secondary source interprets and analyses primary sources. These sources are one or more steps removed from the event. Secondary sources may have pictures, quotes or graphics of primary sources in them.

 

Basic search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing) are useful when you need background information or a place to start; however you must be cautious as limitless information leads to confusion and one does not always know where the information comes from.

Please note: Google is a search engine and not a source of information

Google 

  • Google Scholar: Google Scholar is a specialised search engine that is limited to academic sources only, eliminating fan sites and commonly unreliable sources.
  • Google Books: Google Books is an index full of books. You can browse or read part of a book before checking it out or purchasing it. Many books can be read completely through Google Books.

Alternative to Google

The deep web is made up of content databases and content put onto the web by agencies that want you to search from their homepages, and not from search engines for various reasons. Remember that Google only searches 101 KB into a website. Many good websites require registration, free or fee-based, and these cannot be searched by search engines. Sites that define “ no index” in their protocol also prevent search engines from retrieving what could be quality information.

So just how are you supposed to search the deep web? You need to know where to go. A good start would be getting to know the different types of information you could find at the following sites. Remember that this list is by no means exhaustive, but it’s a start.


News: International news and events: CNN, BBC World 

Online dictionaries:

Academic writing

The Writing Lab at Purdue [http://owl.english.purdue.edu/] houses 200 free writing resources and instructional materials for students, teachers, and trainers. Included are formatting and style guides, grammar and mechanics, internet literacy, ESL, job search and technical writing, and research. There are sections geared to writing for specific disciplines (e.g. experimental report writing in psychology) and forms (e.g. writing about poetry). This site provides the nuts and bolts needed to jump-start any writing project. 

The writing center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill [http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/]


Journals

Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) [http://www.doaj.org/]. Launched in May 2003, Sweden's Lund University Libraries Head Office hosts this "one-stop shopping" open access directory, providing no-cost access to the full text of 2,200-plus journals. More than 630 journals are searchable on the article level (more than 98,000 articles available) in the sciences and humanities/social sciences, and its directory is continually growing in size.

Open Access Journals Search Engine (OAJSE) Open Access Journals in the World (excluding India) [http://www.oajse.com/]. Here you can search for any open access journal publications. It is listed from A to Z and covers any subject discipline.