Research Methods: Information Types

Periodicals:

Published over set time period: daily, weekly, monthly, 4x per year.

Newspapers, Magazines

• Content: Popular information written for the general public – often about current events and popular culture.

• Author: journalist – expert at writing, following stories, interviews.

• Audience: general public

• Citations/Sources within in the story.

Scholarly

• Content: Complex, original research or reviews of the research; vocabulary; thesis, evidence; often peer reviewed. Scholarly information can take longer time to get published.

• Author – academic/expert

• Audience – other experts, students in the field

• Citations – footnotes, Works Cited, In-text (follows MLA, APA or some other format)

Trade –

• Content: The practical application of this knowledge. Informative, informal tone, “best practices” for the field.
• Author: practitioner – in the field
• Audience:  practitioners
• Audience – members of a profession, industry, trade “best practices.” Practical, informative tone

Books:

Reference:

• Content: background, names, events, dates, overview. Not meant to be read cover to cover; alpha organized.
• Author: expert or unsigned
• Editors – yes
• Citations: generally at the end of the article.

Anthology:

• Content: collection of articles on a single theme or subject. Articles have thesis statements and evidence to support thesis.
• Author – expert; many authors in the anthology
• Editor – job to solicit and organize articles on the theme.

Monograph: one writing

• Content: Thesis – overarching- chapters support the thesis. Intended to be read cover to cover. Can use the index to find relevant sections.
• Author – generally expert in the field – not necessarily an academic
• Citations: end of the book

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