Evaluating Sources for Credibility What does it mean for a source to be credible? How does the website look and feel? This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. This process will help you determine if a source is credible and help you identify if it is relevant to your research. A few of the most common social media platforms are Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, LinkedIn, Tumblr, and Instagram. This website collects and publishes the ideas of individuals who have contributed those ideas in their capacities as faculty-mentored student scholars. These will entice the reader by stating that the reader probably cannotanswer each question correctly. The materials collected here do not express the views of, or positions held by, Purdue University. Utilizing rigorous criteria, a panel of reviewers in the same subject area decide whether to accept each submission for publication. Do they benefit financially by promoting a particular view? Why is it important to evaluate an online source before citing it? This website collects and publishes the ideas of individuals who have contributed those ideas in their capacities as faculty-mentored student scholars. A fact is something that is known to be true. Evaluating Primary Sources It is important to examine primary sources with a critical eye since they represent unfiltered records of the past. However, they are written to entertain a lay audience, not to inform a scholarly audience. Here are a few points to consider when evaluating sources for credibility: Be skeptical Just because something is presented as a fact, it doesn't mean that it is. Mailing Address: 3501 University Blvd. Do they have credible work or study experience? Once you have an idea of the types of sources you need for your research, you can spend time evaluating individual sources. If you want to cite this source, you can copy and paste the citation or click the Cite this Scribbr article button to automatically add the citation to our free Citation Generator. As you examine each source, it is important to evaluate each source to determine the quality of the information provided within it. We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Wikipedia is a free online encyclopedia, created by the Wikimedia Foundation. Open Educational Resources, or OERs, are materials that have been licensed for free use in educational settings. What else has the author written? Begin by reading the Introduction or the PrefaceWhat does the author want to accomplish? This means that the sources you reference need to be credible and authoritative. With so much advertising, controversy, and blogging going on, how do you sift through the chaff and cut to the chase? Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use. 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. Last Updated: December 13, 2022 As you examine each source, it is important to evaluate each source to determine the quality of the information provided within it. 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. A credible source is one that provides accurate and trustworthy information from experts in the field of study. As a rule of thumb, if a source is even passively trying to convince you to purchase something, it may not be credible. If your source does not contain any of these elements, consider reading the first few paragraphs of the source and determining whether it includes enough information on your topic for it to be relevant. Government-affiliated websites end in .gov. As you continue to encounter more sources, evaluating them for credibility will become easier. Academic journals are often a great place to find trustworthy and credible content, and are considered one of the most reliable sources you can use in academic writing. How can you tell if a source is credible? However, if you have an active .edu email account from a university where you either attend or work, you can make use of the librarys subscriptions to databases to access these journals. If you are going to use the Internet as your main source for information, beware! It is an important component of information literacy. Evaluating Sources: Introduction Evaluating Sources: Introduction Evaluating sources means recognizing whether the information you read and include in your research is credible. The information should be up to date and current. Images should be evaluated like any other source, such as journal . This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. In order for a source to be included in a database, it usually must go through a screening process that requires individuals to verify the information in the text. However, some scholarly sources may be too dense for your particular research needs, so you may need to turn to sources with a more general audience in mind. It's important to evaluate the sources you're considering using, in order to: Ensure that they're credible. Some databases contain a broader field of information, while some are narrower. Being able to evaluate the credibility of information is an important skill used in school, work, and day-to-day life. Websites that end in .edu also fall into the category of sometimes credible. Individual faculty often provide course websites that include information pertinent to classes they teach. Does the website have a lot of advertisements or sponsored content? An example of a sensationalistic clickbait headline. Podcasts are essentially audio files that can be streamed on a computer or mobile device, like portable radio. Its possible to find many news articles online, both from digital newspapers and websites that post news articles. Before you evaluate your source, you need to first evaluate the purpose of your research. Today, almost every print source has a digital edition (e.g., ebooks, online newspapers), and some academic journals only publish digitally. Every source should contribute to the debate about its topic by taking a clear position. Scholarly sources are written by experts in their field and are typically subjected to peer review. How to Evaluate the Credibility of a Source, https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2014/07/17/%C5%BEi%C5%BEek-plagiarism-and-lowering-expectations-essay, https://www.angelo.edu/library/handouts/peerrev.php, https://www.usg.edu/galileo/skills/unit07/internet07_08.phtml, http://www.aaupnet.org/aaup-members/membership-list, https://ohiostate.pressbooks.pub/choosingsources/chapter/author-and-publisher/, https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/online-health-information-it-reliable, http://www.theguardian.com/science/sifting-the-evidence/2013/oct/21/medical-research-health, http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/4530930.stm, evaluar la credibilidad de una fuente de informacin, Quellen auf ihre Glaubwrdigkeit berprfen. Evaluating Sources | Methods & Examples. To ensure you include only valid information in your research, evaluate your sources using the criteria below. When doing research, you will use a variety of sources such as books, newspaper articles, magazines or journals, and websites. To evaluate internet sources: However, the .edu domain extension is reserved only for educational institutions, and the .gov domain extension is only used by governmental institutions. There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. Evaluate Sources With the Big 5 Criteria. There is a way to contact the author or publisher of my source. Severe academic dishonesty can include buying a pre-written essay or the answers to a multiple-choice test, or falsifying a medical emergency to avoid taking a final exam. 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. wikiHow is where trusted research and expert knowledge come together. December 7, 2022. If the source appears to represent an opinion, does the author offer legitimate reasons for adopting that stance? East, Adelphi, MD 20783. Remember, your use of sources is a means of supporting the argument you make. However, if you used a different search engine, such as Yahoo or Bing, your results may differ. Determine whether a source is worth examining in more depth, Increase the quality of the information you consume. Purdue OWL is a registered trademark. This way, you can assess whether the source is representing the data accurately, or cherry-picking to give a misleading picture of the situation described in the primary source. You will likely use a combination of the three types over the course of your research process. Communication & Mass Media Complete. It can be very unclear (often by design!) Has this author been cited as a source by other scholars or experts in the field? Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full pricewine, food delivery, clothing and more. Has the author of the article published other articles? Among them are the author's level of expertise, her point of view, and the source's publication date. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Anyone can write anything they want on the Internet. Because of this cross-checking process, the articles you find in databases will usually be more reliable than sources you might find simply by looking for them using a search engine. Could the evidence be used to draw other conclusions? In this case, the lie is that there is a link between the websites students visit for writing help and their later susceptibility to criminal lifstyles. For example, podcasts like Stuff You Missed in History Classand Historium Unearthiaprovide information on often-overlooked historical events. Transcript Need Help? If the author is affiliated with a reputable institution or organization, what are its values and goals? Communication & Mass Media Complete. Who are the intended readers and what is the publication's purpose? Because clickbait sources exist simply to promote webpages, they are not considered credible sources. Of course, there is no such link. Can the information you found be verified elsewhere, even via a simple Google search? To determine if a source is primary or secondary, ask yourself: Some types of source are nearly always primary: works of art and literature, raw statistical data, official documents and records, and personal communications (e.g. Key points Sources come in many forms. Whether or not your source is peer-reviewed, it is still a good idea to evaluate it based on these five factors. If you are researching for an academic paper, then you need to have very credible,. An opinion gives the thoughts of a particular individual or group. Course ReservesLibrary materials reserved for your classes. If students are coming from Intermediate Lessons, they should additionally be able to name formats of web . You can also consider using an academic database like LexisNexis or government open data to get started. My source avoids vague or grandiose claims, and writing that is too emotive or subjective. Different news outlets may have different agendas attached to their reporting. Retrieved February 27, 2023, What experience does the author have? The sources you use are an important component of your research. The more familiar you become with your topic, the easier it will be for you to evaluate the evidence in your sources. Is the journal indexed in academic databases? Consider your audience and compare with a variety of sources. Google Apps. letters, interviews). The sources the author cited should be easy to find, clear, and unbiased. Lateral reading is the act of evaluating the credibility of a source by comparing it with other sources. For further guidance, Kaneisha Gaston, Teaching and Undergraduate Services Librarian in Butler Library, can help you evaluate online sources forcredibility. 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. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Students are always told, Never use Wikipedia. Thats true you should never cite Wikipedia for multiple reasons: its written anonymously, so you cant know the credibility of the author, and its continually updated, so its not a stable source. Blogs can range in subject, from seasonal fashion tips to discussing every one of Emily Dickinsons poems. Evaluating the credibility of a source is an important way of sifting out misinformation and determining whether you should use it in your research. California State University developed it in 2004 to help students remember best practices for evaluating content. This article was co-authored by Alexander Ruiz, M.Ed.. Alexander Ruiz is an Educational Consultant and the Educational Director of Link Educational Institute, a tutoring business based in Claremont, California that provides customizable educational plans, subject and test prep tutoring, and college application consulting. Evaluating Your Sources. What is his or her educational background? Useful approaches include the CRAAP test and lateral reading. The former describes the acts in terms of the law (an objective source) whereas the second example judges the actions according to the author's own belief of what is a despicable act. 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. Most clickbait articles want to shock the reader, so be aware of words like surprising, alarming, and shockingin titles. What is the importance of material sources? What other works has the author published? A high number of Cited By results can often be a measurement of credibility. Is it a respected publication? For example, the website passportUSA.org appears to contain official instructions for applying for a passport online; however, it is simply a PDF editing site. Your judgment should involve critical thinking and assessment of purpose, currency, authority, and accuracy of the source. Common evaluation criteria include: purpose and intended audience, authority and credibility, accuracy and reliability, currency and timeliness, and objectivity or bias. 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. 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