Information Literacy Interactive Tutorial

Types of information

You have now formulated your search question and identified search words. In order to find the right information, it is important to consider 'Where will I look for the information?'

There are many types of information sources, but before looking at them in detail, it is necessary to distinguish between the types of information available.

There are two main types of information or knowledge - explicit and implicit.

Explicit knowledge is that taken from books, journal articles and documents. It is information that is written down and explained.

Implicit knowledge is the information we carry around in our heads, usually not written down or explained. Social workers will carry a lot of this information around and share it in face-to-face discussions. This type of information is also known as tacit information. It is an invaluable source of knowledge, and the sharing of it is encouraged through online communities and social networking websites.

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