The Information Cycle - The information cycle is the process by which information grows around a newsworthy event. The cycle begins with reporting of an event as it is occuring or in its immediate aftermath and continues through magazine and journal articles, full-length books, and ultimately to reference works such as encyclopedias. Your job as a researcher is to determine what types of information sources you need for your research project and seek them out. Many research assignments require several types of information sources. Here are some examples:
Time Elapsed |
Information Resources |
Characteristics |
First 24 hours |
- News wire reports
- Radio broadcasts
- TV news
- Online news sources
- Blogs
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- Basic, incomplete information
- Who, what, when, where
- Speculation
- Primary sources
- First person accounts
|
First day- week |
- Newspapers
- Online news sources
- Weekly magazines
|
- Factual accounts
- Beginning analysis of why or effect of event by professional journalists or experts
|
One month |
|
- Still current, but beginning of more reflective pieces
- Written by professional journalists or experts
- Comparisons to other events
- No bibliographies in pieces
- Editorial slant of magazine
|
Six months and beyond |
- Scholarly and academic journals
- Conference or symposia papers
- Congressional hearings
|
- Written by specialists, scholars
- In-depth coverage
- No longer current, but reflective
- Original research, peer-reviewed
- Audience is more specialized
- Detailed analysis of event, may include statistical analysis
- Technical language
- Bibliography of sources
|
One year and beyond |
|
- Popular or scholarly, range of authors
- Wide range of content
- Wide range of audience
- Wide range of points of view
- May include bibliography of sources
|
Two years and beyond |
|
- Factual information, overviews, summaries
- Entries in larger works (encyclopedias)
- Written by specialists
- Bibliography of sources
- Neutral (?) point of view
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For more information on the information cycle, try these sources:
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