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image, Types of Information Resources  

 

In order to obtain useful information for your assignment you need to identify what kind of information you need. Different kinds of information can be found in different types of resources. The kind of information you need will then determine which resource is the most appropriate.

 

Define your need

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Determine the resource

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Evaluate the information

 

Types of Information

Primary, Secondary and Tertiary Information

Most information is generally divided into three main categories:

Primary ,Secondary and Tertiary.

Primary Information:

Original material that has not been interpreted or analysied.

Examples: Statistics, Research articles, Blogs, Websites

Secondary Material:

Created from primary material, interpretating original material.

Examples: Texbooks, Review articles

Tertiary Material:

Acts as a tool in understanding and locating information

Examples: Databases, Subject Gateways, Dictionaries, Bibliographies


Primary Sources
Research, Statistics, Interviews
PrimaryVsSecondary
Secondary Sources Tertiary Sources
Textbooks, Reviews, Websites Dictionaries, Databases

 

 

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Types of Resources

There are many different types of information resources available from UCD Library:

reference

Reference

Reference material is a good starting point when looking for information and definitions. Reference material includes dictionaries, enclyopaedias and bibliographies. UCD Library provides access to a wide range of online reference material
books

Textbooks

Textbooks are secondary information resources. They will provide you with a good general understanding of a topic. They will often cover many areas of one more general topic. Textbooks will provide you with a good overview and will interprete relevant primary material. To find textbooks on your topic search UCD Library's catalogue using the Keyword function.

journals

Journal Articles

Journal articles are primary information resources. Journals are published on a regular basis. Each journal title focuses on a specific area or discipline. They describe research - the generation of new knowledge - and focus on very specific topics.

databases

Databases

Databases are tertiary sources information. Databases allow you to search across a range of journal articles from different journals.

tip Always check the 'scope' or 'about' feature of a database to see what years it covers.
newspaper

Newspapers

Newspapers are primary sources of information. They are an excellent source when looking for current and up-to-date information. UCD Library provides access to both print and electronic versions of daily newspapers.
conference

Conference Proceedings

Conference proceedings are primary sources of information and record papers presented at conferences.
websites

Websites

Websites are useful sources of current information and for an overview on a topic. Check our evaluating websites page to ensure the information you find is reliable.

For a selection of reliable websites in your subject area, have a look at the the relevant subject portal.
gateway

Subject Gateways

Subject Gateways provide a useful starting point when searching for information on the Internet. They provide access to relevant and reliable webistes. UCD Library Subject Portals are subject gateways.

stats

Statistics

Statistics are primary information. They can be very useful for looking at patterns and trends.

search engines

Search Engines

Search engines enable you to find information on the Internet. There are different types of search engines: meta search engines - that allow you to search several search engines at once, scholarly search engines - which search for academic information and normal search engines such as google.


Last updated: May 7 2009

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