Library Resources

Library resources

The Information Cycle

Time Period Format Pros Cons Where to Find
Day of Event
  • Television
  • Radio
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Blogs
  • Most up to date Information
  • Easy to understand.
  • Many sources are primary sources.
  • Can be inaccurate (no proof/peer review process)
  • Generally no insight, just a statement of facts.
  • Intended for general audiences.
  • Written by non-experts.
Week of the Event
  • Newspapers
  • More detailed and factual than immediate reports.
  • Can include facts or opinions from experts.
  • Can include statistics or graphics.
  • Can provide some insight into why the event occurred.
  • Intended for general audiences.
  • Written by non-experts.
Week After Event
  • Popular Magazines
  • Includes detailed reports, opinions, and insight.
  • Offers perspectives from particular groups or geared for specific audiences.
  • Are written by professional journalists, essayists, and often contain commentary by scholars or experts in the field.
  • Intended for general audiences.
  • Can often contain editorial bias of the publication.
Months After Event
  • Academic/Scholarly Journals
  • Contain detailed analysis, empirical research reports, and learned commentary.
  • Often theoretical, analyzing the impact of the event on society, culture, and public policy.
  • Are peer-reviewed which ensures high credibility and accuracy.
  • Include bibliographies.
  • Authored by experts in the field.
  • Very specific in topic.  Often contains information pertaining to one aspect of the event.  
  • Highly technical language.
  • Intended for other scholars and can be difficult to understand for those outside of the field.
  • Are slow to publish.
A Year After the Event
  • Books
  • Provide in-depth coverage of an event, often expanding from earlier research.
  • Can place the event into historical context.
  • Can provide detailed overviews of the event.
  • Can provide other relevant sources through bibliographies.
  • Can range from scholarly in-depth analyses to popular books which are not as well researched.
  • Might have a bias.
  • Author may not be an authority on the subject.
  • Are slow to publish.
Years After the Event
  • Reference Books
  • Contain established knowledge.
  • Includes factual information.
  • Can contain statistics and bibliographies.
  • Authored by scholars and experts in the field.
  • Not as detailed as books or journals.
  • Often intended for general audiences.