INFORMATION SOURCES
Mrs. N.Kwangwa
nkwangwa@uzlib.uz.ac.
zw
Information Sources
Learning Objectives
Students should learn:
 The definition of information sources
 Major producers of Information Sources
 Types of Information Sources
 Internet Information Sources
Information Sources-Definition
 An information source is where you got your
information from; this can be a book or a Website
 Information sources are the various means by which
information is recorded for use by an individual or an
organisation
 Information can come from virtually anywhere:
personal experiences, books, articles, expert
opinions, encyclopedias, the Web.
 The important thing is to choose sources that give
credence, authority and support to your work.
Major producers of information
 There are three main producers of information.
These are
I. Government Agencies (Judiciary Services
Commission, Ministry of Justice, Legal and
Parliamentary Affairs )
II. Academic institutions (UZ)
III. The private Sector (UNICEF)
IV. Professional Associations-Law Society of
Zimbabwe
V. Individuals (University Professors)
Types of Information Sources
 Primary-These are original materials on which other
research studies are based.
 Secondary-created by someone who did not have
firsthand experience or did not participate in the events
or conditions being researched
 They are interpretations and evaluations of primary
sources written significantly after events by parties not
directly involved but who have special expertise.
 Tertiary-consist of information which is a distillation and
collection of primary and secondary sources
 They are twice removed from the original source and
their main purpose is to list, summarise or simply
repackage ideas or other information.
Categories of Information
Sources
 There are various categories of information sources
and different assignments require information from a
variety of sources.
 The selection of information sources to be used is
largely determined by the information needs and
requirements.
 Information sources can be categorised into books,
periodicals, reference sources, databases, portals,
subject gateways , archives/institutional repository
Books
 These are works written on widely varying themes
and they cover virtually any topic, fact or fiction
 They are written by researchers or experts and are
only published after passing through editors or
publishers
 Books can be in print or electronic (e-books).
 Useful for the complete background on an issue or
an in-depth analysis of a theory or person
 Can take years to publish, so may not always include
the most current information
Periodicals
 These are publications published on a regular basis -
daily, weekly, bi-weekly, monthly, bimonthly, quarterly or
yearly.
 The information in periodicals covers a wide variety of
topics and is very up-to-date.
 Periodicals are available in both print and electronic
formats.
 Common examples of periodicals include popular
magazines (or general interest magazines),
professional and trade magazines, scholarly journals,
newsletters, and newspapers.
Journals
 Include articles written by and for specialists/experts in a
particular field
 Articles undergo a peer review process before they're accepted
for publication
 Articles tend to have a narrower focus and more analysis of the
topic than those in other types of publications
 Journals are written by experts or specialists in a particular
field/discipline and targeted towards other scholars.
 The articles are usually longer and may contain charts, graphs
and statistics as well as extensive bibliographies.
 The articles usually involve extensive research and in-depth
studies.
 The writing style is more complex and the language may be
technical.
Cont’
 Examples of this type of periodical are academic
journals and professional journals.
 Academic journals are written by members of an
academic community and are reviewed by their
peers while professional journals are written by
members of a professional body including
Geologists, GIS Specialists, Mathematicians,, lawyers,
doctors and engineers
 Examples of journals include: Journal of
Environmental technology
Cont’
 Zimbabwe Law Journal
 Law and Policy
 Journal of African Law
 The Journal of Legal Studies
 Industrial law Journal
Reference Sources
 These are authoritative works that provide specific
answers or information.
 There are many types of reference sources, including
atlases, dictionaries, encyclopedias, thesauri,
almanacs, manuals, biographies, and handbooks,
bibliographies, indexes and abstracts among others.
 Reference information sources can be general or
subject specific. For example, The Encyclopedia
Britannica is general while Encyclopedia of Law and
Society
Cont’
Abstracts
 An abstract is a brief synopsis or summary of the most
important points that the author makes in the paper.
 It is a highly condensed version of the paper itself.
After reading the abstract, the reader knows the main
points that the authors have to make.
Indexes
 Indexes are a finding guide to the contents of particular
journals.
 They provide subject, author, and/or title indexing to a
particular set of periodicals and give a full citation for
each article.
Cont’
Bibliographies
 These are publications that consist of a list of books,
articles and other works on a particular topic.
 Sometimes bibliographies are annotated, that is they
include brief abstracts summarising the important
features of the works.
Databases
 A database is a collection of information in electronic
form that is organised in a manner that allows a user
to easily retrieve information about its individual
entries.
 The content of databases has undergone a review
process and the information is more reliable than
information found on the Internet
Cont’
 Examples of databases include: Taylor and Francis,
Emerald Publishing Group, JSTOR, Wiley Online
Library, etc
Institutional Repositories/
Archives
 It consist of formally organised and managed
collection of digital content generated by faculty,
staff and in some cases by students.
 An example of on institutional repository is the UZ
Institutional repository http://ir.uz.ac.zw Stanford
University Repository, Loughborough University’s
Institutional repository
Sources of Legal Information
 Annotations
 Cases
 Statutes
 Judgements
 Administrative Laws
 Treaties
Activity
1. Given a journal article and magazine which one will
you use when writing an assignment? Give reasons
2. Identify and briefly explain information sources
available in the UZ Library
3. Identify and describe the sources of legal
information provided on this website: https://zimlii.
org/content/welcome-zimbabwe-legal-informationinstitute-website-0