Most information is generally divided into three main categories:

Primary, Secondary and Tertiary.

Primary Information

Original material that has not been interpreted or analysed.

Examples: Statistics, Research articles, Blogs, Websites

Secondary Material

Created from primary material, interpreting original material.

Examples: Textbooks, Review articles

Tertiary Material

Acts as a tool in understanding and locating information.

Examples: Databases, Subject Gateways, Dictionaries, Bibliographies

There are many different types of information resources available in the Library:

Reference

Reference material is a good starting point when looking for information and definitions. Reference material includes dictionaries, encyclopaedias and bibliographies. We provide access to a wide range of online reference material.

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 or more general topics and will interpret relevant primary material. To find textbooks on your topic, search our catalogue using the Keyword function.

Journal Articles

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

Newspapers

Newspapers are primary sources of information. They are an excellent source when looking for current and up-to-date information.

Conference Proceedings

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

Websites

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

Subject gateways

Subject gateways provide a useful starting point when searching for information on the Internet. They provide access to relevant and reliable websites.

Statistics

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

Search Engines

Search engines enable you to find information on the Internet. There are different types of search engines: meta search engines (allow you to search several search engines at once), scholarly search engines (allow you to search for academic information) and general search engines such as Google.