The flow of information is a conceptual timeline of how information is created, disseminated, and found. Information is dispersed through a variety of channels. Depending on the type of information, the time it takes to reach its audience could range from seconds to minutes, days to weeks, or months to years. Knowing how information flows helps you understand what types of information you need and how to search and obtain the targeted information.
| Report of Event | Time Frame | Where to Look | Written by | Audience |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| News (Internet / TV / Radio Services) | Seconds/Minutes | Websites TV news indexes |
Journalists | General public |
| Newspapers (print) | Day / Days+ | Online newspaper websites Newspaper indexes |
Professional journalists | General public |
| Magazines (print) | Week / Weeks | Periodical indexes Library catalog |
Professional journalists, poets, writers of fiction, and essayists | General public to knowledgeable layperson |
| Journals (print) Electronic Journals |
6 months + 3 months + |
Library catalog Article database Journal website Google Scholar |
Specialists in the field, usually scholars with PhDs | Scholars, specialists, and students |
| Books | 2 years + | Library catalog | Specialists/scholars | General public to specialists |
| E-books, Digitized Books | 2 years + | Library catalog Digital collections |
Specialists/scholars | General public to specialists |
| Reference Sources | Average 10 years | Library catalog | Specialists/scholars | General public to specialists |
| Web Pages | Seconds/minutes to years | Web search tools | Anyone | General public to Specialists |