Information Literacy for First Year Students: Lesson 5: Information sources: Peer-reviewed information

• 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

Library catalogue

• 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.

• Connected group of pages on the World Wide Webb
• 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)