Library 101: Types of Information

Primary

• first-hand, created at the time of the event, by people who were there
• Examples: letters, diaries, interviews, autobiographies, speeches, photos, newspaper articles (published at the time of the event) 

Secondary 

• created after the event, by people who were not there - they may comment on or analyze primary sources 
•  Examples: books, biographies, magazine articles (published after the event) 

Tertiary 

• In general: sources that organize or index primary and secondary sources 
• In the sciences: sources aimed at a general audience that present or summarize material from primary or secondary sources 
• Examples: dictionaries, encyclopedias, directories
• Examples in the sciences: magazine or newspaper articles on a scientific topic  

For more on information and information sources see the guide from Arkansas State University HERE. 

Use these six categories to think about and evaluate sources:

Quality: the scope and depth of the source

• What information does the source cover? In what detail?
• Is the information presented thoroughly and professionally?

Authority: the authority and expertise of the author and the source

• Who is the author? What is their reputation in the field and out of it? What are their credentials and affiliations? Are they qualified to speak on the topic?
• Has the source been peer reviewed?

Currency: the newness or timeliness of a source

• When was this published?
• Has it been updated since the first publication?

Relevancy: the value of the source to your needs

• Is it on your topic?
• Who is the intended audience, and is it you, in this case?

Purpose: how and why the source was created

• Why was this written?
• Is there a bias? (Bias does not necessarily mean you cannot use a source, but you should know if there is a bias and what impact that might have on the piece.)
• Does the author have political, religious, ideological, or cultural views that are reflected in the source?
• Is the reason this was written clear, or does the author bury that information?

Accuracy: the truthfulness and veracity of the information   

• Are you told what sources the author used, and can you find them? Do they actually support the argument?
• Does the work contradict itself?
• Does the information the author provides actually support their argument?
• Are other reputable sources reporting on this topic?

Not all news sources or stories are trustworthy or worth using for your research. Here are some warning signs that a source is inaccurate, trying to get people mad, pushing an agenda, or otherwise untrustworthy: 

The facts of the story can't be verified.  With suspect news sources, if there are sources cited, they won’t actually give you additional, independently verified sources. If there are links, they will often either come from the same news source or link to a broad part of a legitimate website instead of an exact source.

Nobody else has published the story.  With our rapid news cycle, it is very rare for only one source to be reporting on a story. If a quick Google search for the story doesn’t get you multiple different media sources reporting on the story, it’s probably fake.

The author does not have the credentials or the authority to write the story. If the author does not have any educational background in what they are reporting and/or is not a journalist, the story needs further investigation. 

The story appeals to your emotions. Be careful if a story is playing heavily on your emotions – this is a good way to distract people from the facts and encourage them to pass the story along without thinking about it critically. Also, be on the look out for "loaded language" - using words and phrases that inspire an emotional response in the reader as opposed to phrasing that is more neutral. 

So, before you trust a news article: 

Do a quick google search on the author and any organizations or interest groups - who are they, and what stake do they have in this issue?

Do a quick search for other news articles on the same story - are other sources also reporting on it? If not, that's a red flag and requires more careful research.

Click on the links to the sources the article cites and see if they actually work and actually go to the source they say they do. 

And make sure the site isn’t a satire news site, or things will be very awkward. 

Note that many dubious news sources can look extremely polished and professional. You cannot trust a source because it “looks” legitimate, and you should look critically at what a source says about itself. A websites' "About Us" page can give you the names to google to find out who they are and what they do, but you shouldn't trust the page itself to be accurate.