Information On, Information Of, or Information About?

What is the most appropriate way to talk about information? Should we say “Information On”, “Information Of”, or “Information About”?

We want to know if there are any differences in those forms and, in that case, which is the correct way to use each of them. Let’s find out!

Information On, Information Of, or Information About?

All three forms are correct. The most difficult one is “Information Of” because it is very formal and the preposition “of” usually indicates something about the information itself. “Information On” and “Information About” are almost synonyms and can often interchange.

Take a look at the examples below:

• We need more information on the situation.
• We need more information of the situation. (incorrect)
• We need more information about the situation.

The sentences in the example are the same. The only difference is that each presents one of the forms we’re looking at in this article.

The sentences that include “Information On” and “Information About” are grammatically correct and you could use any of them. They convey the same message and you could choose the form you feel more comfortable with and go with that.

In that scenario, however, “Information Of” would be incorrect. This isn’t the correct or appropriate use of the phrase “Information Of”. We’ll take a closer look at that form and how to use it soon.

Information On

“Information” is any fact about a person, situation, or event. There are many ways we can talk about information or indicate that we’re presenting the information. “Information On” is one of those ways: it’s correct and it should be used to point out what or who is the subject of the information you’re introducing.

Take a look at some examples:

1. For more information on the topic, please visit the company’s website.
2. Where can I find information on this subject?
3. Is there any information on the situation that I should be aware of?
4. Hank said he needs more information on the program, before making a decision.
5. The patient asked for more information on the procedure.

“Information On” indicates what is the subject or topic the information that’s being brought (or is being sought) is about. It’s a synonym of “Information About”, which sounds a bit more formal or polished.

Information Of

“Information Of” usually indicates a fact about the information that’s being provided. In other words, it helps tell us if the information is good, reliable, etc. “Information Of” shouldn’t be used to present information or bring new facts to a conversation.

Take a look at the helpful examples we have below:

1. John’s information is of questionable value because he’s not an expert on the matter.
2. Information of great urgency is what that report brought us.

3. More information of the painting is available on the museum’s website. (incorrect)
4. More information about the painting is available on the museum’s website.

5. Christina asked for more information of the start-up. (incorrect)
6. Christina asked for more information on the start-up.

Sentences 1 and 2 show the phrase “Information Of” being correctly used. First and foremost, as you can see, this form is very formal. Currently, you could say that a piece of information is “questionable” instead of saying “of questionable valued”, for example.

There aren’t many situations in which the over-polished form “Information Of” would be currently used. However, you should know it’s correct and acceptable in case you ever come across it.

Sentences 3 and 4 (as well as 5 and 6) show “Information Of” being incorrectly used and replaced by the forms “Information About” and “Information On”.

Information About

“Information About” is the most casual, common form to express that facts are being presented about any subject. You should use it every time you feel the need to. “Information About” is a synonym to “Information On”, and those forms can mostly interchange.

Let’s go over some examples:

1. Mr. Carson needs more information about the procedure his wife will undergo.
2. Carlos, do you have more information about the situation?
3. I need to find more information about the statistics before deciding.
4. The team will share information about our new expansion at the meeting tomorrow.
5. I would like to find more information about this artist.

Which Is Used the Most?

Do people say more “Information On”, “Information About”, or “Information Of”? We want to know which one of those forms is used more often. To do that, we’ll take a look at the graph from Google Ngram Viewer below.

“Information About” is the most used form, currently. But it seems to be always very close to “Information On”. In fact, those two forms seem to walk hand in hand, swapping positions at the top of the graph as people’s favorites.

“Information On” was the prevalent phrase for many decades. It was only around 2010 that “Information About” became the most used one.

“Information Of”, on the other hand, is rarely used. As we know now, although it’s a correct form, it has a very strict use and it was expected that it wouldn’t pop up as often as the other two.

Final Thoughts

All three forms are grammatically correct. Use “Information About” and “Information On” to deliver, discuss or ask for more information regarding any subject, person or event. They’re synonyms and can interchange. “Information Of” should be used in a formal setting to describe the information that’s being presented.