A 101 Guide To Locate And Use Credible Sources

Several questions can baffle you whenever your professor evaluates your dissertation or your essay. They can ask for the source of certain information or even question the authenticity of the paper. And, word of mouth isn’t certainly enough in these situations. Only valid documents can prove your hard work and do justice to the time you have invested in completing the assignment. And this is true for all students, be they undergraduate students, postgraduates, or research scholars.

This is what makes the list of references such an important document and requisite for students.

Yes, only the list of references with all credible sources can only prove that you have researched well for your assignment. Unfortunately, students often fail to recognize the difference between credible and non-credible sources. As a result, they often end up using unreliable sources unintentionally, and use the wrong justifications in the assignment. Such incidents not only deduct marks but also create a very wrong impression of your research skills.

This is why it is said that assignment writing (of any type) is just not about knowing the subject. There are several other small units you must know about to formulate a worthier paper. And one of them is credible sources.

Here is a guide for you on credible sources. Read carefully and make sure not to miss out on anything. Since sourcing is important, you must know about the types of sources. So, let's begin with that. Read More about Explore 7 Unique Prompts of a Common App Essay.

The Types of Sources – An Overview

Information sources can be categorized into three major categories: Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary. Since they provide you with direct evidence of the topic you are researching, primary sources are frequently thought to be the most credible forms of evidence for your claim. Yet, it's your responsibility to make sure the data they offer is trustworthy and correct.

Primary sources convey facts in their basic or most unaltered state; that is, they do not filter, edit, or interpret the data.

Many primary sources are created, experienced, or collected simultaneously with the time period or "event" that is being researched.

A primary source or a group of primary sources is described in secondary sources. In these sources, the information from a primary source is summarised, reorganized, or explained in a new way.

Material from both primary and secondary sources is compiled, indexed, or organized in tertiary sources. These sources almost seldom give unique content; instead, they usually present a general overview of a subject without any criticism or analysis.

The table below will give you a glimpse of the differences between the three types of sources –

Type	Definition	Example
Primary	First-person accounts of discovery or occurrence. Sources convey original research, ideas, or viewpoints.	· Results from experiments or statistics · Information from magazines and newspapers · journal entries · Photographs · audio clips of speeches or interviews
Secondary	Information obtained from outside sources (primary) that is analyzed, described, or evaluated	· Books · Documentaries · Journal articles · Textbooks · Blog posts
Tertiary	Use of both primary and secondary sources. The source provides an overview or summary of various sources.	· Encyclopaedias · Almanacs · Dictionaries · Indexes · Bibliographies

Moving on, let us learn how to search for reliable and accurate sources.

How to Search for Relevant Sources?

1. Make an easy start

Before getting into any kind of complications, try the easiest way – browsing through the most common search engines. Give the right keywords and press the search button. The list you get will surely have at least 1 or 2 such sources that'll be extremely useful for you. But yes, you have to be patient enough to find them.

2. Strike out Wikipedia from the list.

Every time they need any information, Wikipedia is the first webpage that students check. There is no doubt that Wikipedia is a huge repository of information but the problem with this page is that anybody at any instance can alter the information present on the page. Thus there is a high chance that the information present is not very accurate and thus is not 100% reliable.

3. Seek scholarly databases

When looking for trustworthy sources for your research, scholarly databases are the best that you can have. LexisNexis, EBSCO, and Scopus are the names of databases that are quite popular among students irrespective of the field.

4. Old is gold

Though old yet gold mine of information is none other than the library. Visit your university library or town library and read books by renowned authors from your field. You'll be amazed to see the vast range of information you get from there. Also, because they are from well-known bestseller authors, they are less likely to be unreliable.

5. Newspapers and Magazines

Magazines and newspapers are valued sources of up-to-date information. But they can be biased in certain instances. To eradicate biases, you might have to do a little more research.

What Do You Mean by Credible Sources? Why Are They Important?

Credible sources are the source of information that you can refer to while doing your assignments. They cannot be biased. This means that they should not be taking any particular side. This implies supporting a particular ideology or ignoring any other relevant facts that might oppose the central idea of the paper etc. A credible source will be open to all forms of ideas and notions and yet justify the central theme in a justified and honest way.

Secondly, the source should have enough evidence to support everything that it argues. If it is not backed up with evidence, it loses reliability.

For instance, say the source you are referring to claims that "Mr. X proved that ABC is true." The same source should also mention when and where this mentioned has or has not been confirmed by any other trusted organization etc.

Last but not least, always look at whether the author of the paper is someone reliable or not. Try to search for the name on Google and have a look at their other works (if any). In case the source you are referring to is composed of an organization, you have to check the credibility of the same.

The credibility of sources is important because they will make your paper look good and worthy of reading. If you are not referring to credible sources, there is no guarantee that your information is true, and it automatically drops the quality of your paper. And honestly, these things cannot pass by your evaluator's notice. This will result in your mark deduction.

What Contributes to the Credibility of a Source?

To find credible sources, you need to know about the criterion that makes a source credible. This section will tell you about the same –

The Depth

The depth of an article, not just in terms of content but also in terms of its length and other necessary chapters, tells a lot about the credibility of the source. To understand the depth of the content, you have to read the entire content, but before that, you can check the length of the content, whether or not it has all the necessary chapters, etc., and then decide whether to read it or not. If you find it dissatisfactory, there is no point in reading the rest of the content and wasting your time.

The Audience

With a particular audience section in mind, it is often justified to have biases in the content. Therefore before judging the credibility, it is always important for you to verify the target audience of the content.

The Goal

Every paper has the aim to achieve. Often the content is adjusted accordingly. Therefore besides understanding the audience of the paper, you also need to identify the aim the paper wants to accomplish.

The Author

Who wrote the paper, their reputation, and their other works in the respective field all of these must be considered to check the credibility of the source.

The Website

You must also consider the kind of website the content is published on to verify the credibility of the source.

How to Evaluate Source Credibility?

To evaluate source credibility, you need to answer two questions they are –

1. What is a potential credible source?

If you are referring to a source that is published in the recent timeline within the past 10 years, then there is some credibility to the source. Next, if the author or the organization composing the content of the source is reputed and well-credited in the respective field then again that adds to the credibility of the paper. One easy way to check whether a webpage you are referring to is credible or not is to see the extension of the same. Websites with “.gov” and “.edu” extensions are safer options since they are academic databases or government-controlled websites.

2. What is a potentially unreliable source?

Anything that is not suiting the above criteria should be avoided. Documents that are older (more than 10 years) should be typically considered out of date and misfit for reference. Personal blogs, and social media feeds, would be wiser to avoid these. The next rule is no reference no reliability. Always look for references hence they prove the authenticity.

Developed by the University of California, there is a tried and tested way of evaluating the credibility of the source known as the CRAAP test.

What is a potentially unreliable source

C – Currency

R – Relevance

A – Authority

A – Accuracy

P – Purpose

As per the process, you have to do the following –

First, check the date and see whether it is up to date.
The next thing you must look at it is whether or not the source of reference is relevant enough for your research question.
As of authority, there are three questions you must find an answer to. They are –
- Where is the content published?
- Who is the author?
- Is both the author and the publication reliable and reputable enough?
Give a quick read and decipher whether the arguments placed in the paper have enough evidence to justify them. Make sure to check the list of citations.
Lastly, you have to find an answer to what might be the purpose of the paper.

Remember, the evaluation of each criterion in the CRAAP test depends on your research topic.

For example, if you are working on modern-day technology, a source from 2000 won't be really current for you. But if you are working on the European Renaissance, then old research will also be beneficial for you.

Besides, while evaluating the purpose, be very careful. Suppose you are doing research on the impacts of a particular medicine on the human body. You find a source that gives you enough details about the subject and also tells all the good things about medicine. This is only trustworthy if this research is done by some other researcher or some non-biased third party, not if it is done and published by the pharmaceutical company itself.

Where to Find Credible Sources?

A . Google Scholar

Google Scholar is the most well-known and user-friendly search engine, and it can provide academic writing on any subject you need. You can use Google Scholar for free and search for any kind of publishing format.

B. Microsoft Academic

This search engine on the internet is free to use. Not only does it assist you in finding the needed material, but it also keeps track of the most recent scholarly works and investigations in the area of your interest! Also, it was redesigned in 2016 with an improved user experience.

C. Taylor and Francis Online

This well-reputed database is mostly known for publishing peer-reviewed papers and for the same reason holds a high reputation among researchers. They have an online portal and you can access via the same all the journals published within it. But yes keep one thing in mind this database is not free for all. It is only available for limited places. Therefore, before you log in make sure to check the eligibility conditions.

D. Academia

This is very similar to Google Scholar and is a free program as well where you are allowed to browse and save any paper on any subject you want. When you are using this you have to be good with your research skills, be patient and be careful for at times the writers only upload partial work. In case you find that half work interesting and valuable you have to contact them and get to know about the rest.

E. JSTOR

JSTOR is an online library that has a huge selection of books, papers, and journals. However, unfortunately, access is limited. Despite the limited accessibility, it can truly help students. The database is among the most reliable because the sources are carefully chosen before being added.

F. SAGE Publishing

SAGE Publishing is one of the very popular independent publishers. They help students in their research by providing them with unlimited free access to a wide range of scholarly articles. All of the books, periodicals, and papers they publish each year gain a lot of popularity in the respective field and thus hint towards reliability.

G. ScienceDirect

Science Direct is one of the very reputed medical and science-related publications. It is a huge collection of papers on science and medicine. It has over 18 million published works and all of them are extremely trustworthy.

H. Scientific American

For anyone intrigued by science and technology, it is a necessity to read through the writings of the most renowned scientists. Even an article by Albert Einstein appeared in one of those editions! Either purchase a print copy of the journal or sign up for an online subscription.

I. Popular Science

This source of science materials is mainly intended and targeted for the general audience to read and come closer to the world of science and yet it is one of the most trusted sources of science. It is a credible source offering students with materials on a wide range of topics. It is mainly known for its periodical work and has received many honorary awards for the same.

So, now you know which sources to use, and how to locate reliable sources. It is time to impress your professor with a data-driven assignment packed with all the right facts. Next up, we have resolved a few common doubts students have regarding researching. Here you go!

FAQs Related to Credible Sources

Q.1. What makes your sources credible?

A reliable source is unbiased and supported by facts. A reliable individual or group wrote it. There are many sources available, and it might be difficult to determine which ones are reliable and which ones are not at first look.

Q.2. What are the 5 different things that make a source credible?

The ability to recognize reliable sources is crucial. Understanding profundity, impartiality, integrity, authenticity, and significance are prerequisites for this skill. It is a good idea to assess your source using these five criteria regardless of whether or not it has undergone peer review.

Q.3. How to know if a source is credible?

Examine the three letters that follow the domain name of the website, such as "edu," "gov," "org," and "com" (commercial). Websites ending in. gov and. edu are typically trustworthy but watch out for sites that intentionally use these suffixes to deceive.

Q.4. What are the best credible sources?

Peer-reviewed publications, governmental institutions, scholarly research institutions, and professional associations are examples of reliable sources. Due to their strict publishing guidelines, reputable information can also be found in major newspapers and periodicals.

Q.5. What sources should be avoided?

Outdated content (written more than ten years ago),
social media posts (such as those from Facebook),
blogs,
uncited research articles,
Webpages with.com, .org, or.net extensions, etc.

Q.6. What are some good sources for history?

Some good sources for history references are –

America: History and Life
History Cooperative
Project Muse – Standard collection
A-Z databases history
Comparative Studies in Society and History

Q.7. Why do I need to cite sources?

Every time you use somebody else's thoughts or phrases to respond to a question, create a report or presentation, participate in a discussion forum, or do anything else, you must cite your sources. Only your own thoughts, experiences and generally accepted knowledge need not be cited.

Q.8. Can I get an autogenerated citation for articles I find in the library databases?

The articles you find can be cited automatically, thanks to the databases at the library. The citation tools frequently allow you to select the format you require and simply copy and paste the reference into your reference list.

But keep in mind that they're not faultless. Please check the citations and make any necessary corrections.

Was this helpful?

Zara William

Zara William is one of the brilliant minds behind the archive of blog at Allessaywriter.com. Her content educates, inspires, and entertains. Explore the world of writing and discover how words can shape thoughts and transform lives!