How is new knowledge or information made available?

We already know that research that leads to new knowledge is mainly done through large institutions that represent the government, academic, and private sectors of our society.

Not all of this new knowledge is made available.

• Government information may be designated as confidential, an agency may hide or delay release of information, or data may be sold to private publishers to be repackaged and sold to the public.
• Not all academic research findings are published. Scholarly journals have review boards that accept or reject what is submitted for publication.
• Private sector research, such as that done by a pharmaceutical laboratory, is often guarded information that is kept secret for the benefit of the company.

No matter who produces the information or new knowledge, it needs to be available in a format that makes the material understandable and accessible. Scholarly journals are the usual method of disseminating the results of academic research, whether in print or available online. Books are also used to distribute information. Periodicals, newspapers, radio, television, the Internet, and other media might be used to distribute private sector information. Government research, as discussed before, can usually be found through local libraries in the form of books, journals, documents, or through the Internet via various government web sites.