Intro to Academic Research


Before starting your research it is important to understand what types of information sources will be the most useful. Depending on your topic you may need current news coverage, articles from scholarly journals and magazines, books, information from other sources, or a combination of all of these resources. The information timeline, or information life cycle, can help you understand the process of how information is created and how it evolves over time. This will help you gain a better understanding about what types of sources will have the information you need for your research. It will also aid you in evaluating the content and accuracy of your sources.

Video Resources


 

An Event Occurs

When an event occurs, the information about that event progresses through an information timeline, or cycle, that ranges from reporting of the facts to the publication of scholarly literature.

Click on the icons below to explore the different stages of the information timeline.

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Within Minutes

Social Media

  • "Breaks" the story
  • Info may be incomplete, false, or biased

Examples: Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, blogs

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Within Days

News Sites, TV, Radio, & Daily Newspapers

  • As time passes, info gets added, updated, and verified
  • Opinions emerge

Examples: CNN.com, MSNBC, BBC Radio, New York Times

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Within a Week

Weekly Magazines

  • Offers more insight
  • Likely to include context information, interviews, and related topics

Examples: Time, Newsweek, People, The New Yorker

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Within a Month

Monthly Magazines

  • Additional time allows for better reporting
  • May include opinions

Examples: Wired, Scientific American, National Geographic

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Months Later

Scholarly Journals

  • Written by experts
  • Well-researched and objective

Examples: Journal of American Culture, Nature, JAMA

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Year(s) Later

Books

  • Benefit most from hindsight
  • Give most in-depth coverage of topic

Examples: Nonfiction titles, biographies, textbooks, reference materials

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