Formats and Types of Information

General-Specific

Scholarly-Popular

Primary-Secondary

Free-Fee

General-Specific Information Types

When searching for information, it is recommended that a student use background information sources to gain an initial understanding of the topic. First, explore general information sources to increase familiarity with the topic and to gain an overview, and to review ideas concerning the topic's terminology. A general encyclopedia, such as the Encyclopedia Britannica, is often a good place to start looking for information. Most articles are written by experts in the subject, and can be used as a brief overview of your topic.

Then, use more specific information sources as your understanding of the topic deepens, such as subject encyclopedias and books.

Subject-based or specialized encyclopedias, handbooks and directories provide more comprehensive topic information than found in general encyclopedias. Examples include almanacs and yearbooks, atlases and gazetteers and biographical encyclopedias.

Books provide in-depth information on a topic; most are indexed to facilitate searching, and include bibliographies useful for identifying additional information sources. Books, also known as monographs, have been carefully selected by librarians and faculty for inclusion in the library's collection because of their reliability.