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ENGL 1A: Science, Ethics, and Society (Nanda): Types of Information Sources

What kind of information do you need?

Information comes in many different forms, depending on the purpose of the creator and the audience it was intended for.  Information in any format is produced to convey a message and is shared via a selected delivery method.  To find the best resources for your project, you need to assess the fit between your particular information need and and the type of sources that can provide this information.  You also need to assess the value of the information you find, as a commodity, as a means of education, as a means of influence, or simply as a means to understand the world.  

Types of Sources

Examples of possible sources for studying "cloning"

  • Tweets or other social media
  • Newspapers
  • News websites
  • Blogs
  • Organization websites
  • Government websites (e.g., Justice Dept.)
  • News magazine articles (e.g., Time, Newsweek)
  • Scholarly journal articles (e.g., Journal of Communications)
  • Statistics
  • Documentaries / Films
  • Dissertations
  • Books

Questions to Answer

Examine the sources in the middle box and think about your answers to the following questions. 

1. What type of source is this?  Choose from the sources listed in the left column.

2. Who is the audience for this source?

3. How could you use the information in that source for a presentation on cloning?  

4. Does the source tell you anything about the author's credentials? If so, what?

5. From the limited information available, do you think this source is:

  • Highly biased
  • Moderately biased
  • Slightly biased
  • Unbiased

Now fill in your answers to these questions on "Exercise 3: Exploring Sources on Cloning," which you will find in Module 6 in the Camino site for this course.