Because so much information is now available online, its important to know how to navigate digital sources versus print sources. The definition of a credible source can change depending on the discipline, but in general, for academic writing, a credible source is one that is unbiased and is backed up with evidence. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use. The materials collected here do not express the views of, or positions held by, Purdue University. For preliminary research and getting to know a new topic, you could use a combination of primary, secondary, and tertiary sources. 4.6. What are possible consequences of not evaluating sources? Backlinks to other sources are up-to-date and not broken. For tips on getting a second opinion and evaluating non-academic sources, read on! Like YouTube videos, podcasts can be valuable resources if used correctly. PsycINFO. Revised on Yes to scholarly databases. Most sites that use clickbait use it to simply gain clicks on their site. Websites that end in .com or .org are credible if they're backed by respected institutions, but not if they have a clear bias or are created by a private individual. Web. A myriad of organisations offer analysis, data, intelligence and research on developments in international higher education. Today, almost every print source has a digital edition (e.g., ebooks, online newspapers), and some academic journals only publish digitally. For example, critical theorist Slavoj ieks reputation and credibility has been significantly damaged after a 2014 accusation of plagiarism. You can also read abstracts, prefaces, introductions, and conclusions. Others may become caught up in a heavily unbalanced viewpoint and can take some timemonths perhapsto regain a better-balanced consensus (see Researching with Wikipedia). Always seek your second opinion ahead of the deadline for your project. There are two key steps: Ask questions before you trust what you read or hear. Citing information from an unreliable source makes academic audiences wary of your entire argument because it is based on information held to a lower level of integrity. If you need some guidance on finding good sources, set up a research consultation with Columbia Libraries to find credible academic sources to support your work. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. Common evaluation criteria include: purpose and intended audience, authority and credibility, accuracy and reliability, currency and timeliness, and objectivity or bias. Facts are objective, while opinions and propaganda are subjective. Remember, your use of sources is a means of supporting the argument you make. Privacy policy. While faculty at a university are reputable, this information does not go through the peer-review process discussed earlier. by While a scientific study showed that Wikipedia is as accurate as professionally generated encyclopedias. What else has the author written? Evaluating a source's credibility Evaluating the credibility of a source is an important way of sifting out misinformation and determining whether you should use it in your research. Both National Geographicand TEDuse .com domain extension, despite the fact that theyre large organizations. Common evaluation criteria include: purpose and intended audience, authority and credibility, accuracy and reliability, currency and timeliness, and objectivity or bias. When looking for online sources, using a database helps you find credible information. Sometimes, the currency of the source is very important. Examine source in full text (PDF or original print is preferable) for errors, organization, opinions, etc. Evaluating Primary Sources It is important to examine primary sources with a critical eye since they represent unfiltered records of the past. Assess the credibility of your resources. Is the author affiliated with a university or another institution? "Informative, critical and genuine. Legitimate OERs can be a great resource. A well-known strategy for testing the quality of sources is the CRAAP test. Has the author of the article published other articles? For a web source, the URL and layout should signify that it is trustworthy. by My source is unbiased, and offers multiple perspectives fairly. If the cited source meets the other standards for credibility, read that source and cite it. Educational resources end in .edu, and are generally considered the most credible in academic settings. Use information from a textbook only for the background information necessary to build the foundation for your more innovative argument. What are examples of academic dishonesty? Search engine optimization (often abbreviated SEO) is a strategy used to increase unpaid views on a website from search engines. Credible sources are high quality, evidence-based, reliable, and trustworthy. August 26, 2021 A credible source is free from bias and backed up with evidence. If credentials are not listed, that does not mean that the author has no expertise, but it does make it hard for you to evaluate whether he/she/they do and that means the sources may not be appropriate for college level research. A good argument should be based on analysis and critique, and there should be a logical relationship between evidence and conclusions. Although publishers, editorial boards or reviewers usually decide whether books or published articles are accurate and of decent enough quality to be published, anyone can create a Web page with no screening at all; so it is especially important to evaluate information from the Internet. This article has been viewed 849,783 times. Here are five ways to help you identify a reliable source: 1. Another form of clickbait is a page that challenges the viewer to a quiz or test. To evaluate a source's critical reception: Check in the library's book and film review databases t o get a sense of how a source was received in the popular and scholarly press. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use. There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This means that the sources you reference need to be credible and authoritative. Sometimes simply typing an authors name into a search engine will give you an initial springboard for information. Evaluating Sources | Methods & Examples. Templates for well-designed websites are inexpensive and easily available. If the author is affiliated with a reputable institution or organization, what are its values and goals? Do they benefit financially by promoting a particular view? Because clickbait sources exist simply to promote webpages, they are not considered credible sources. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use. Websites that end in .com and .org are sometimes credible, but sometimes not. Google Scholar is a search engine for academic sources. Privacy policy. Evaluating sources for credibility: Which ones are right for your research? If youre just starting your research, you might look for sources that include more general information. Preliminary evaluation is useful as it allows you to: While this preliminary evaluation is an important step in the research process, you should engage with sources more deeply in order to adequately understand them. For tips on getting a second opinion and evaluating non-academic sources, read on! If a bibliographic citation seems promising, it's a good idea to spend a bit more time with the source before you determine its credibility. Assess the quality of their arguments. Beware of grandiose claims, and critically analyze anything not cited or backed up by evidence. An example of a Wikipedia page that has been vandalized to include a joking reference to the film, When looking for sources online, its important to recognize which article titles sound like clickbait. Remember that scholarly sources often have a very particular audience in mind, and popular sources are written for a more general audience. How do you evaluate credibility sources? It is important to critically evaluate images you use for research, study, and presentations. Evaluating Your Sources. For example, if you were to search How to change a flat tire in a search engine, you would most likely get how-to videos and pages, rather than someone selling their car on Craigslist, because the algorithm sorts the webpages based on the keywords you input. For this reason, academic journals are often considered among the most credible sources you can use in a research project provided that the journal itself is trustworthy and well-regarded. The CRAAP test is a catchy acronym that will help you evaluate the credibility of a source you are thinking about using. While social media is not regularly used as a source in research, sometimes you might use a YouTube video or a tweet from a well-known individual. In general, while you will probably not use a lot of social media in your research, if you do, try to locate the people or groups behind the usernames. An opinion gives the thoughts of a particular individual or group. [For web sources]: My sources URL suggests the domain is trustworthy, e.g. Research 101: Credibility is contextual Students recognize that credibility may vary by context and information need. It is written by a trustworthy author or organization. Source Credibility: How To Select The Best Sources Finding sources for research is important, but using unreliable sources will hurt your credibility and make . East, Adelphi, MD 20783. Being able to evaluate the credibility of information is an important skill used in school, work, and day-to-day life. Your resources need to be recent enough for your topic. These sections usually provide information about who the author is and what sort of . NOTE: If you are researching varied opinions and biases on a topic, then such sources would be appropriate. How do you know that your sources are of value? Like other encyclopedias, Wikipedia can provide valuable information about certain topics. Which of the following sources appear credible and which appear questionable: Stem Cell Basics. Who are the intended readers and what is the publication's purpose? Are the journals policies on copyright and peer review easily available? How does the website look and feel? 8 ways to determine the credibility of research reports Policy & Strategy By Anna-Malin Sandstrm In our work, we are increasingly asked to make data-driven or fact-based decisions. Scholarly books will provide an extensive list of references to bolster their academic credibility, whereas non-scholarly books often make claims without any credible referential support. However, it can be a good starting point for general information and finding other sources. letters, interviews). For a web source, the URL and layout should signify that it is trustworthy. As you cannot possibly read every source related to your topic, its important to evaluate sources to assess their relevance. A credible source is free from bias and backed up with evidence. Revised on Indeed, many articles start out by giving oneperhaps not particularly evenhandedview of the subject, and it is after a long process of discussion, debate, and argument that they gradually take on aconsensusform. This allows you to: If a source is using methods or drawing conclusions that are incompatible with other research in its field, it may not be reliable. Is the field currently dominated by particular theories or. Let's discuss in detail how these skills can help you in evaluating content. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. Are there any specific texts or scholars that have greatly influenced the field? Sometimes your instructor will require you to incorporate certain types of resources into your research, but for other assignments, you will be looking for sources on your own. Published on Citation databases will also tell you the number of times this source has been cited by other academics, giving you further insight into its credibility. 2015. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/b\/b7\/Evaluate-the-Credibility-of-a-Source-Step-3-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Evaluate-the-Credibility-of-a-Source-Step-3-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/b7\/Evaluate-the-Credibility-of-a-Source-Step-3-Version-2.jpg\/aid368290-v4-728px-Evaluate-the-Credibility-of-a-Source-Step-3-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"