The below chart will help you answer questions like these:
- What type of source would be best for you to use to find the information you need?
- Is the currency of a source important to your topic?
- Does the date of a source need to be close to the time the event you are researching occurred?
- Is in-depth coverage of your topic important?
On the same topic is a terrific video about the Information Life Cycle (2:34) from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas.