Information Literacy Instructional Program

Information Literacy Learning Guides

Key Concepts & Practice

Introduction to Information - Kinds of Information


Factual or specific sources of information      Factual or specific sources of information will give you the answers to specific questions.

Examples:  George Washington was the first president of the United States.

Examples Located  in:  Books, Encyclopedias, Magazines, some verifiable Web resources     Statistical Information    World Book of Fact

Theoretical or Opinion       Theoretical information provides more detail than factual or specific information.

Examples: The movie Gone with the Wind was the best movie ever.

Examples Located in: Editorials, Movie Reviews, Commentaries.                                       New York Times Editorials   Ebert & Roeper Movie Reviews

Primary Information       Primary sources are original materials or data. A primary source is an original creation by an individual or a group.

Examples:

  • Diaries, Novels ,Constitution of the United States.
  • Data & statistics collected but not analyzed.
  • Newspaper accounts by reporters that were at an event.
  • Testimony in a legal case. Original works of art.

Examples Located in:

Academic Resources

Secondary Information      Secondary sources analyze, interpret, or comment on the primary source. In other words, a secondary source says something about a primary source or sources. Secondary sources are important to examine because most research builds upon the scholarship and research of others.

Examples:

  • Journal articles, dictionaries, reviews
  • An article that critiques a work of art or a film or a novel.
  • An article that analyzes someone’s research.
  • An interpretation of every day life as reported in a personal diary.

Examples Located in:


Estrella Mountain Community College   Library Main Page   Learning Guides Index

 Last Updated: 8/2/04