The Information Cycle Chart

This chart illustrates how and when information about an event is released through various news sources like television, radio, the Internet, magazines and journals. Initially events are reported on and written for general public knowledge. What happens over time, after the event and initial information distribution, is what this chart discusses. The kind of information reported seconds after an event occurs can be very different than an examination and/or reflection of an event months or years later.

For some subjects, the timeliness and kinds of information , e.g. primary secondary sources, are critical to research. Web news resources and databases such as ScienceDirect or ABI/Inform, for example, can support research activities within the sciences, business and technology.

The information needs within other subjects may require a reflective and scholarly lens for research purposes. Usually, books and peer-reviewed journals in databases such as JSTOR, America: History and Life, EconLit or Project Muse, for example, can aid in understanding the theoretical context and historical significance of an event.