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Human Services Research Guide

Information in the 21st Century

Information from All Types of Sources

Imagine being alive 100 years ago. The availability of information on any given topic was severely limited when compared with today's information environment. The absence of digital formats meant information distribution happened at a smaller scale and could be slow.
Technological innovations such as the internet, mass media, social media, and artificial intelligence (AI) have greatly accelerated the production and spread of information. A survey by Netcraft indicated that there were 1,106,671,903 websites in 2023. Wise (2024), a writer for Earthweb, reported that 7.5 million blog posts are published daily.

A range of source types and formats can be useful to your research, but remember...

  • Always check your professor's assignment instructions to determine which types of sources you are required to use
  • Apply your critical thinking skills to evaluate the quality and suitability of the information and sources before relying on them
  • Consulting and using multiple sources for information is generally preferred over depending heavily on one source

For more information on strategies for evaluating information, see the Evaluating Information page of this guide.

Types of Sources--Additional Resources

Review these Resources to Learn More About Information Source Types

Videos (each 2 - 4 minutes long). Note: Please use the Chrome browser to view.

Slides, Document Files, & Diagrams

Library home page with callouts on Library Catalog Search and Research & Databases Dropdown Menu

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  • The above image shows the Library home page. The menu of options for the Library Catalog Search is marked with an orange rectangle to show the source types that can be searched from this search box.
  • Additionally, the purple arrow indicates that when clicked, the Research & Databases menu item displays a dropdown of options. Databases (such as those accessible from the A-Z List and the Databases by Subject pages) are good entry points to search for journal articles.

See the Databases / Find Articles page of this guide for more information.