Current events are the news and happenings in the world. These include things like political and social unrest, disasters, weather, health issues, and sports. Magazines often have articles about current events. They can contain interviews, opinions, narratives, investigative reporting and analysis, and are generally written for a general audience. The Conversation and CQ Researcher are two examples of resources that contain academic articles on current topics.
For example, articles may cover a recent earthquake in Mexico, the death of an athlete, or how Hurricane Katrina affected New Orleans. Other examples might include an interview with a woman who followed her mother’s wishes for not being resuscitated or an article about the Pickett fire, a wildfire that has destroyed homes and businesses in California.
Newspapers, magazines, and other news sources are good sources of information about current events. They can provide very recent information, lived experiences, facts and descriptions, and a perspective from people directly involved. Scholarly sources take longer to research and publish so they are best for when you need background information on a topic, historical context or evidence-based analysis. See our page on the Information Cycle for more information. This is a helpful guide for understanding how much time it takes for scholarly sources to be available for your research.