A Guide to information sources (or a bibliographic guide, a literature guide, a guide to reference materials, a subject gateway, etc.) is a kind of metabibliography. Ideally it is not just a listing of bibliographies, reference works and other source texts, but more like a textbook introducing users to the information sources in a given field (in general).
Such guides may have many different forms: Comprehensive or highly selective, printed or electronic sources, annotated listings or written chapters etc.
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Evaluating Sources
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M-02.Types of Information Sources: Documentary: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary (LS)
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Evaluating Sources for Credibility
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If you want to succeed at your assignments or research, you should only use quality information, whether it's found in books, journal articles or websites. Use the following criteria (also known as the CRAAP test) to critically evaluate any source of information: Currency: When was the information published, updated and/or revised? Is the information out-of-date for the topic? Relevance (or Intended Audience): How much information is presented? Does it provide a superficial treatment, or a detailed analysis? Is the information related and relevant to your topic? Is the readership level appropriate, neither too simple nor too sophisticated? Authority: Not all books or journals in an academic library are scholarly. Who are the authors and/or editors and what are their credentials? For journals, are articles peer-reviewed, that is, do they have the approval of other experts in the field? For books, are they published by scholarly presses, popular presses, or self-published? Accuracy (and Verifiability): Does the source match your understanding of the topic? Can you verify the claims in other sources? Never rely on just one source. Is there a bibliography or list of works cited? What types of sources, and how many relevant sources, are cited? This is an indication of the depth of the author's knowledge. Purpose (and Objectivity): Is the purpose stated? Is the subject approached from an objective standpoint? If not, what is the author's bias, and how might it influence the information presented? Be wary: there may be more than one perspective on any given issue. Using these criteria -- Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy and Purpose -- to critically evaluate sources of information will help ensure that you're only using quality sources of information. If you need more help with evaluating sources, visit one of our Research Help Desks.
Functions
Often used as curriculum tools for bibliographic instruction, the guides help library users find materials or help those unfamiliar with a discipline understand the key sources.
Examples
Aby, Stephen H., Nalen, James & Fielding, Lori (2005). Sociology; a guide to reference and information sources. 3rd ed. Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited.
Adams, Stephen R. (2005). Information Sources in Patents; 2nd ed. (Guides to Information Sources). München: K. G. Saur ISBN 3-598-24443-6
Blewett, Daniel K (2008). American military history; a guide to reference and information sources. 2nd ed. Westport, CT : Libraries Unlimited.
Jacoby, JoAnn & Kibbee, Josephine Z. (2007). Cultural anthropology; a guide to reference and information sources. 2nd ed. Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited.
Schmidt, Diane & Bell, George H. (2003). Guide to reference and information sources in the zoological sciences. Westport, Conn. : Libraries Unlimited.
O'Hare, Christine (2007). Business Information Sources. London: Library Assn Pub Ltd
Ostwald, W (1919). Die chemische Literatur und die Organisation der Wissenschaft. Leipzig : W. Ostwald & C. Drucker. (This is considered the first "guide to information sources").
Stebbins, Leslie F. (2006). Student guide to research in the digital age; how to locate and evaluate information sources. Westport, Conn.: Libraries Unlimited.
Webb, W. H. et al. (Ed.). (1986). Sources of information in the social sciences. A Guide to the literature. 3. ed. Chicago : American Library Association.
Zell, Hans M. (ed.). (2003). The African studies companion; a guide to information sources. 3rd rev. and expanded ed. Glais Bheinn : Hans Zell.
See also
- Information literacy
- Information source
- Metabibliography
- Pathfinder (Library Science)
- Reference work
Literature
- Bottle, R. T. (1997). Information science. I: Feather, J. & Sturges, P. (Eds.). International encyclopedia of library and information science. London & New York : Routledge. (pp. 212–214).
- Vileno, L. (2007). From paper to electronic, the evolution of pathfinders: a review of the literature. Reference Services Review. 35(3), 434-451. Også tilgængelig 2009-08-16 fra: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/Insight/ViewContentServlet?contentType=Article&Filename=Published/EmeraldFullTextArticle/Articles/2400350310.html
- Library Trends, 1990, vol 38, issues 3-4, p 453 Google Books
- S Hargitay and S-M Yu. Property Investment Decisions: A Quantitative Approach. Routledge. Page 255
This page was last edited on 13 March 2023, at 20:56