SOURCES OF INFORMATION

There are various sources of information which are broadly classified into two categories, viz., Documentary sources, that include primary, secondary, and tertiary sources (the primary sources are the first to appear, secondary sources came out next and tertiary sources are the last to appear); and Non-documentary sources (formal and informal).

Documentary Sources

Primary Sources
Primary sources of information are the first published records of original research and development or description of a new application or new interpretations of an old theme or idea. These are original documents representing unfiltered original ideas. These constitute the latest available information. A researcher producing new information can make it available to the particular community through primary sources. Often, it may be the only source of information in existence.

Primary sources are unorganized sources, which are rather difficult to use by themselves. The secondary sources help us to use these. These are important sources of information.

This aid the researchers to:
(a) keep themselves up-to-date and well informed of the new developments,
(b) avoid duplication in research, and
(c) help others to build on this by means of further work and thus generate more information.

Primary sources are published in a variety of forms. Normally, these take the form of a journal article, research monograph, research report, patent, dissertation, etc. Some of these may be unpublished. These are described below:

(i) Periodicals. Periodicals include journals, bulletins, transactions, proceedings or similar works, which appear regularly and continuously in numbered sequence. However, the newspapers and annuals are excluded. The bulk of primary source literature appears in the form of periodicals. There are many periodicals that are exclusively devoted to reporting original researches.

The periodical article is the main means of communication for the exchange of scientific information. The same can be said about many other areas of knowledge. It may be pointed out that
an article in a journal would be considered a primary source if it contains information representing original thinking or a report of a new discovery of something.

(ii) Research Monographs. Research monographs are “separately published reports on original research that are too long, too specialized, or otherwise unsuitable for publication in one of the standard journals. Each monograph is self-contained, frequently summarizes existing theory or practice before presenting the author’s original and previously unpublished work, and is likely to be one of a series of such research monographs in the same field.”

(iii) Research Reports. Research reports are reports regarding research and development projects. These are a primitive form of literature because these are produced earlier in a research program. Often these take the form of progress reports which serve as a temporary reference. Due to the inadequacies of the periodicals, research reports issued as separate documents offer a successful alternative. These form a vital part of primary sources especially in the areas of aeronautics and applied atomic energy.

(iv) Patents. A patent is a government grant of exclusive privilege which allows making use or selling of a new invention for a term of years. A patent takes the form of an official document, having the seal of government attached to it, which confers an exclusive privilege or right over a period of time to the proceeds of an invention.
Patents are regarded as a part of the primary sources because an invention has to be new, only then it can be patented.

(v) Standards. Standards form the primary source of information. The importance of standards can be gauged from the fact that the progress of modern society would be difficult without standards. These lead to simplification of production and distribution of products produced by a manufacturer.

These ensure reliability for the consumers. As a result of standardization, those items which do not follow prescribed standards get eliminated from the market.
A typical standard is a pamphlet covering definitions, methods, properties, measurements, etc.

(vi) Trade Literature. Trade literature is an important source for getting information about particular products and their development. Often, it may be the only source for such information. As such, when the required information is not available elsewhere, then particular trade literature may become a primary source.

Trade literature aims to describe and also illustrate equipment or goods or processes or services relating to manufacturers. The basic objective of such literature is to sell products produced by a manufacturer or to advance prestige.

(vii) Dissertations. Universities normally require a candidate working towards a doctorate degree to write a dissertation (sometimes called a thesis) under the supervision of a guide. These are usually expected to show evidence of original research and are supposed to form an important category of documents for researchers in the concerned field. These should be considered primary sources of information.

Much of what is worthwhile in dissertations is later published in the primary periodicals or books but frequently certain data relating to an important original work may never get included in traditional forms of literature.

(viii) Unpublished Sources. There are certain primary sources of information, which remain unpublished. Very often, these may be consulted for historical interest. In some of the subjects in social sciences, their percentage is as high as 40 percent of the total literature.

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

Examples:
(a) Laboratory notebooks
(b) Memoranda
(c) Diaries (A diary is a personal record of what interested the diarist, usually it is kept from day-to-day)
(d) Letters to or from a particular individual
(e) Company files
(f) Internal research reports 106 D Library and Information Science Specific
(g) State papers
(h) Inscriptions on tombstones
(i) Portraits

(j) Oral history (Oral history memoirs are records of interviews. It consists of a systematic attempt to obtain from the lips of living persons, who led significant lives, the fullest record of their contribution to the political, economic, and cultural life of their nation. It can be both detailed and as intimate as any private correspondence and often more reflective in nature. The interviewer and the subject can also verify the transcript).
(k) Coins, etc.

Secondary Sources
Secondary sources of information are those which are either compiled from or refer to primary sources of information. These contain information regarding primary or original information. The original information has been usually modified, selected, or reorganized so as to serve a definite purpose or group of users. Such sources contain information arranged and organized on the basis of some definite plan.

These contain organized repackaged knowledge rather than new knowledge. Information given in primary sources is made available in a more convenient form. Due to their very nature, secondary sources are more easily and widely available than primary sources. These not only provide digested information but also serve as bibliographical keys to primary sources of information. The primary sources are the first to appear, these are followed by secondary sources.

Secondary sources are described as follows:
(i) Periodicals. All periodicals do not report original work. There are a number of periodicals that specialize in interpreting and providing opinions on developments reported in primary sources of information. Such periodicals may be considered secondary sources.

(ii) Indexes. An Index to work contains an alphabetical list of names, topics, places, formulae, titles of any significant item referring to the material presented in the main part of the work. Sometimes, these items may be arranged chronologically, geographically or in some other way. A well-compiled index adds to the usefulness of work.

(iii) Bibliographies. A bibliography is an organized list of primary or other sources relating to a given subject(s) or person. It is usually arranged alphabetically by the author or chronologically or topic-wise. It may be comprehensive or selective. Sometimes, it may be provided with annotations. It may be published as a part of a larger work or as a separate work.

The basic aim of a bibliography is to assist the user in locating the existence of or identifying a book or any other material which may be of interest to him. A well-prepared bibliography provides definitive coverage of documents over a period of time within specified limits. Thus, it also serves the purpose of retrospective searching of literature.

(iv) Indexing Periodicals. An indexing periodical is a regularly issued compilation of titles of articles that appear in current primary source journals. Generally, titles of new books, pamphlets, etc., are also included.

(v) Abstracting Periodicals. Abstracts appear in different formats. The best-known format for abstracting services is periodical. An abstracting periodical “is a regularly issued compilation of concise summaries of

(A) significant articles (often in a very limited subject field) that appear in current primary source journals, and

(B) important new research monographs, reports, patents, and other primary source publications in that field.” An abstracting periodical serves as an index, a tool for retrieval of information on a specific subject and provides a survey of the current state of the art about the specific subject. However, indexing periodicals are earlier to appear than abstracting periodicals.

(vi) Reviews (Survey Type). A review is a survey of the primary literature. It aims to digest and correlate the literature over a given period. It also indicates the developments and trends in the concerned field. It may appear as a collection of papers on a regular basis (annual or quarterly or monthly) or in the form of an article in a periodical.

A review provides background information to a new problem in a suitable form and serves as a key to literature. A list of references given in a review can serve as a first-rate bibliography of the concerned subject for a period covered by
it.
(vii) Treatises. A treatise is a comprehensive compilation or summary of information on a subject. A treatise on a subject provides enough information to a person to acquire basic knowledge, so essential for carrying out advanced research. It also provides facts, along with discussion.

The facts may include physical constants, methods of preparation and purification of compounds., etc. Usually, it is limited to a broad field (e.g., Organic Chemistry, Heat, Light, etc.) Due to its very nature, these become out of date within a short period of time.

(viii) Monographs. A monograph is a short treatise on a specific subject. A monograph and a treatise serve the same purposes with the difference that a monograph is an attempt on a limited scale. Very often, a monograph may be brought out as a part of a series.

(ix) Textbooks. The primary aim of a textbook is not to impart information about a specific subject but to enable one to develop a proper understanding of the subject. Presentation is extremely important and it is prepared to serve a particular level of readership. It cannot be comprehensive.

Often presentation is colorful and attractive, giving plenty of illustrations and diagrams. A good textbook takes into consideration the method of teaching and level of readership. Keeping in view new developments and changing methodology of teaching, it is generally revised from time to time.

(x) Reference Books. These form an important part of secondary sources of information. Reference books, which contain the desired information itself are considered secondary sources of information. These include encyclopedias, dictionaries, handbooks, tables, formularies, etc. These are sources of ready reference. These
are compiled so that everyday information can be provided readily.

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(xi) Encyclopaedias. An encyclopedia gives information on all branches of knowledge or a specific subject. It is an ideal book, which deals with concepts. An encyclopedia is a storehouse of knowledge giving all information of significance.

However, it is\ best used for finding answers to background questions related to general information and self-education. One often turns to encyclopedias for one’s everyday information requirements. This is also true of scientists and technologists. 108 D Library and Information Science Specific

(xii) Dictionaries. A dictionary deals with words of a language or of some special subjects, authors, etc. Thus a dictionary is a word book. Although a dictionary is supposed to deal with words often it may go beyond this.

(xiii) Handbooks. A handbook is a compilation of miscellaneous information in a compact and handy form. It contains data, procedures, principles, etc. Tables, graphs, diagrams, and illustrations are provided. Scientists and technologists use handbooks in their fields rather frequently.

(xiv) Manuals. In common practice, a manual is an instruction book, which instructs how to do something by means of specific and clear directions.

(xv) Tables. Many of the handbooks contain data in the form of tables. Some of the handbooks devote a substantial portion of the work to tables as compared with text. Tables are a convenient form to present data (e.g., density, melting points, atomic weights, boiling points, reactions, etc.). These are extremely useful in science especially physical sciences and technology.

(xvi) Translations. Translations are an important part of secondary sources. Their characteristics are the same as those of primary or secondary or tertiary sources from which these are translated. Many of the authors of research papers prefer to cite original sources rather than translations.

Tertiary Sources
Tertiary sources of information contain information distilled and collected from primary and secondary sources. The primary function of tertiary sources of information is to aid the searcher of information in the use of primary and secondary sources of information. Most of these sources do not contain subject knowledge.

Due to the increase in literature, tertiary sources are becoming increasingly important. Out of various kinds of sources, tertiary sources are the last to appear. These are described as below:

(i) Bibliography of Bibliographies. A bibliography of bibliographies lists bibliographies that direct readers to useful bibliographies through the subject, name of an individual place, institution, etc. The bibliographies referred to maybe in the form of a separately published book or part of the book or part of a periodical article or some other type of document. As the number of bibliographies published every year is large, therefore, bibliographies of bibliographies are highly selective in nature.

(ii) Directories. A directory is a list of names and addresses of persons, organizations, manufacturers; or periodicals. It may list information in a way that best serves the requirements of its users so as to enable them to get the required information readily. The word ‘directory’ may or may not appear in the title. The range of subjects
dealt by directories is tremendous.

(iii) Guides to Literature. A guide to literature assists a user to use literature of a specific subject. It helps to evaluate and introduce literature. It lays emphasis on literature rather than the content of a specific subject. It mainly covers secondary and tertiary sources.

Non-documentary Sources
Non-documentary sources of information form a substantial part of communication, especially in science and technology. Users’ studies have underlined the importance of such sources. These sources provide information which other sources do not. There are two kinds of sources (formal and informal).

Formal sources include research organizations, societies, industries, government departments, universities, consultants, etc. Informal sources include a conversation with colleagues, visitors, attendance at professional meetings, etc.

Very often, the conversation or discussion would point out primary or secondary sources (documentary sources). Informal sources are live sources, which are extremely important in the process of communication. Very often, if a scientist working on an experiment needs some data, he would turn to his colleague working in the same laboratory rather than consult a printed page.

Informal sources tend to be more convenient sources because it is certainly easier to have a dialogue with an expert than use a bibliography or index or card catalog or even consultation with a reference librarian.

The documents essentially are monologues but a dialogue with a human being can assist in clarifying one’s requirement for information.

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