Information Sources: Uses, Advantages, and Disadvantages
Source Type
Access
Utility
Advantages
Disadvantages
Book (nonfiction)
Print, Online
Research,
information
Thorough treatment of a
topic
May not contain the
latest information;
may not be scholarly
Encyclopedia
Print, Online
Research,
information
Good topical coverage;
good source for
background information
Information is usually
not very specific
Magazine
Print
Entertainment,
information
Good for general
information;
contemporary focus
Not scholarly in
nature
Trade/Professional Journal
Print
Information
Articles written by
specialists in their fields
Oriented toward
specific fields; not
scholarly in nature
Newspapers
Print, online
Information
Good source for current
events; primary sources
Not scholarly; infor-
mation may be biased
Scholarly Journal
Print, Online
Research,
information
Articles written by
authorities; scholarly
discussion; may be peer-
reviewed*
Subject may be very
focused – sometimes
and advantage and
sometimes not
Government Documents
Print, online**
Research,
information
Many produced; cover
wide variety of topics;
good source of statistics
Information is very
specific
Research databases
Online
Research,
information
Many topics; articles
written by authorities;
scholarly discussion; may
be peer-reviewed*
Access restricted to
authorized users;
user name and
password required;
may be very focused
Videos
DVD,
streaming
Research,
information,
entertainment
Good for visual learners;
wide variety of topics.
More difficult to mark
a useful passage than
print media.
Open web
Online
Entertainment,
information
Quantity of information
Quality of infor-
mation is uneven;
authority of some
sources is unknown
Google Scholar
Online
Research,
information
Scholarly information
May not be peer-
reviewed; access may
be restricted
Social media
Online
Entertainment,
information
Information updated
frequently
Quality of infor-
mation is uneven;
authority of some
sources is unknown
*Peer review is a process by which a panel of experts reviews an article for quality assurance.
**The SVCC library is not a government documents repository, so only online government documents are available.
