This chart is a very simplified overview with generalizations about types of resources and what they might do best. Of course there are many exceptions; you might find a newly published book on a very specific topic, or you find a great article with an extensive bibliography. Use your judgment, but try to explore a variety of formats to find the information you need.
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Format |
Why? |
Why Not?
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For an overview of a topic, for a detailed discussion of a topic, books are usually proofread, edited, and fact-checked more extensively than other types of sources |
Not for very recent information, may not cover very specific topics |
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|
For more current or detailed information, or if you cannot find any books on your topic |
Not for broad overview of a topic, articles from general (as opposed to scholarly) periodicals won't have bibliographies referring you to other related sources. or acknowledging the sources the author used. |
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|
Very current, many different perspectives & opinions, very specific topic coverage, easy and cheap to find information |
Internet information may -- or may not -- be reliable, authoritative. Hard to tell who or why someone writes about a topic. Information online may be changed frequently (e.g. Wikipedia) or be gone completely when you go back to it a second time |
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Books and magazines outside the FIT Library: Interlibrary Loan (ILL) or visiting another library |
Item not available at FIT library |
Not for things you need right away |
This chart is just an outline of issues to consider when using a specific source or format of information; there's no single right or wrong answer to the question "what's a good source?
| Have a question or comment about these guides? Contact: libraryreference@fitnyc.edu |