Types of Sources

Information sources are available in a variety of genres or formats. Each type of source has its own intended audience, purpose, and publication timeline. Identifying these genres can be tricky, especially in the digital realm of the Internet, since everything can look the same!

This guide will provide tips for recognizing different types of sources when searching online or in FRCC's Discovery Search and databases.

The sources listed above are among the most common found when researching, but there are several other types of sources you may come across.

• Infographics: visual representation of information or data to convey information quickly and easily
  • Example: the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay Library's Lateral Reading Infographic
• Reviews: a written critique of another item -- book, art, music, game, journal, film, etc.
  • Example: review of Disability Pride: Dispatches from a post-ADA World from the Kirkus Reviews
• Raw Data: data that has not been analyzed or original data
  • Example: data about the United States from the World Bank
• Letters to the Editor: letter sent to a publication expressing concern, agreement, disagreement, or commentary from readers. Also called op-eds, opinion pieces, editorials, or commentary.
  • Example: newspapers like the Colorado Sun typically publish letters to the editor. Papers may have opinion columnists on staff and accept letters from the public. The articles are often focused on local issues that affect residents like wolf re-introduction, universal pre-school, water rights, and ranked choice voting.
• Interview: meeting or conversation where one party asks questions of another to gain information/insight
  • Example: transcript of CNN interview with Department of Education Secretary Cardona
• Lecture/Speech: formal address delivered to an audience
  • Example: video to Winona LaDuke's speech entitled Grassroots Strategies for Mitigating Climate Change