Information cycle

The information cycle is a model of the processing of information by news media and researchers, in which information goes through various stages of reporting and publication. In the cycle model, information about an event starts out as a news story, presented on the Internet, television, radio, newspapers; then magazines; then it moves on to scholarly research published in academic journals, conferences, or books; and finally, if the information is considered important enough, it ends in reference works such as handbooks and encyclopedias. The model is commonly taught in library education. Information flow in this model can be thought of as a cycle because, conceptually, the published information might spark new ideas which will pass through similar stages.