Making a Judgment Call: Utilizing the Right Resource for the Right Reason
Characteristics
Definition
Newspapers
A regularly scheduled publication
containing news, information and
advertisements.
Magazines
A regularly scheduled
publication with a
particular focus.
Academic Journals
A regularly scheduled academic
publication with a specific focus.
Websites
A collection of information
posted on the World Wide
Web.
Primary Sources
An artifact or document that
captures a firsthand
experience.
Audience
General public
General public
Experts in field
Researchers
Scholars
Depends on purpose of site
General public
Experts
General public
Experts
Authors
Professional news reporters
Some specialized writers
Staff writers
Some specialized
writers
Experts in the field
Professional backgrounds given
Contact information given
Anyone can publish a
website
Anyone with direct personal
knowledge of an event
Content
Depends on type of newspaper
Current events (local, national,
international)
Editorials
Comics
Statistics, graphs, charts
Photographs
Advertisements
No bibliographies or sources
listed
Informative or
entertaining articles
of interest to the
public
Color photos
Language is easy to
read
Advertisements
No background
knowledge is
necessary to
understand
No bibliography or
cited references
Original research on a focused topic
Abstracts and summaries appear
before articles
Book reviews
Serious-looking cover
Statistics, charts, graphs
Little or no advertisements
Language is technical
Knowledge of topic is necessary
References always cited and
bibliography is lengthy
Articles are reviewed by other experts
in the field
Dependent on site creator
or organization
Specialized in a particular
type of content or use
Varies by site
Usually includes some color
photos or images
May include video, audio,
graphs, charts
Amount of advertisements
varies
Authority, accuracy, bias,
currency and coverage
vary
Original documents
(government, laws, video
footage, statistics)
Personal (diaries, journals,
letters, Twitter feeds,
blogs)
Creative works (paintings,
sculptures, novels)
Artifacts (clothes, tools,
photographs)
Purpose/Use
To inform
Printed regularly (daily, weekly,
monthly)
Local and regional news
Editorials
Primary source for information on
events
To inform or entertain
Produced for profit by
business
Primary source for
analysis of popular
culture
Book reviews
Add to knowledge in field through
original research
Reports of original research
In-depth analysis of topics
To inform or entertain
Commerce
Current source of
information
Archival information
To inform
Used for insight into time
period or event
Provides personal touch to
history or situation
Examples
Honolulu Star-Advertiser
New York Times
Washington Post
Honolulu Advertiser
San Francisco Chronicle
Time
Newsweek
People
National Geographic
Surfer
American Journal of Medicine
Journal of Abnormal Psychology
Law Review
Journal of Educational Research
Bioscience
www.ehawaii.gov
www.hawaii.edu
doe.k12.hi.us
www.bishopmuseum.org
www.hawaiinewsnow.com
U.S. Constitution
Plato’s Republic
Article from The Honolulu
Star-Advertiser
Letters from home
Twitter feeds
Source
Online database
EBSCO
HSPLS
Google News
Online database
EBSCO
HSPLS
Google News
Online database
EBSCO
HSPLS
Google Scholar
University of Hawaii System
Web search engines
Links from other websites
Use EBSCO Host
Online databases
Archives
World Wide Web
Developed by The PEARL Project, funded by the Institute of Museum and Library Services