Format / Medium
You also have to ask yourself what format your source is in, as well as in what medium it is shared. Some examples of source & medium types include (but are not limited to):
- Tweets
- Newspaper article
- Interviews
- Blogs
- Conference presentation or paper
- Thesis or dissertation
- Journal article
- Book
- Book chapter
- Encyclopedia article
- Reference books
If you look at the list above, notice that it is in (roughly) the order that information is produced.
- Sources such as tweets and newspaper articles occur contemporaneously with events, serving as the first rough draft of history.
- Information is further discussed and shared via formats such as interviews and blog articles.
- As time goes on, the information is carefully studied, analyzed, and tested by scholars in relevant fields through conferences, theses and dissertations, articles, and books.
- As information becomes widely accepted as common knowledge, it makes its way into reference books such as encyclopedias, handbooks, and textbooks.
Note
The format and medium of your source can give you clues as to its reliability and to the author’s credibility and authority.
You also need to know the source’s format/medium in order to accurately craft the citation for your paper.