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\n<\/p><\/div>"}. The materials collected here do not express the views of, or positions held by, Purdue University. For example, the BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal) banned all tobacco research funded by tobacco companies in 2013 because they determined that the special interests of the research funders would lead to biased, unreliable conclusions. This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. Using credible and relevant sources is important. As you continue to encounter more sources, evaluating them for credibility will become easier. 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. 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. 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. Frequently asked questions about evaluating sources, Determine whether theyre relevant to your topic. This is not to say that less-established scholars work is not credible. NOTE: If you are researching varied opinions and biases on a topic, then such sources would be appropriate. Do they agree or disagree with other scholars? My source is unbiased, and offers multiple perspectives fairly. The author's level of expertise on the topic he or she is writing about could take the form of an advanced degree or other extensive experience in the field. What are examples of academic dishonesty? This process will help you determine if a source is credible and help you identify if it is relevant to your research. A fact is something that is known to be true. Are your sources credible? The criteria for evaluating each point depend on your research topic. Google Apps. Below are some questions to ask and things to consider as you read through a source. When looking for online sources, using a database helps you find credible information. This stands for: When evaluating academic journals or books published by university presses, its always a good rule of thumb to ensure they are peer-reviewed and published in a reputable journal. Why is it important to evaluate an online source before citing it? While this is a good first step, it cant tell you for sure if a source is actually relevant to your research. Foods that are easily accessible and quick to prepare are more likely to be eaten. Propaganda often relies on slogans or emotionally-charged images to influence an audience. This page is brought to you by the OWL at Purdue University. Was the source created by someone directly involved in the events youre studying (primary), or by another researcher (secondary)? 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. If you don't find your topic discussed, try searching for some synonyms in the Index. If at all possible, look for that same information from a peer-reviewed source, rather than a professors personal .edu source. Name recognition is often the first thing you consider to determine reliability. They are written to inform, not entertain, and assume a high level of previous knowledge because they are written specifically to people who have a vested professional interest in technical information relevant to their specialization. Beware of using Wikipedia as a source for academic or journalistic writing. Were committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Validity is harder to assess, but it can be estimated by comparing the results to other relevant data or theory. 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. On the other hand, some well-known organizations use a .com domain extension. Social media is simply defined as any type of digital space that allows users to create content and share it with others in a social setting. Conclusions that describe something as "bad or good" or "right or wrong" should be examined critically. It can also involve the selective reporting of true information in order to deceive an audience. Useful approaches include the CRAAP test and lateral reading. 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. 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. Consider the tone, style, vocabulary, level of information, and assumptions the author makes about the reader. 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. What about the news? If so, it should have a clear bibliography that you will also be able to consult for further sources. Note that this does not mean that all information found in well-packaged sources is credible. One way to do this is to look at paratextual material, or the parts of a work other than the text itself. Has the author been cited by other scholars? The OER Commons is a public digital library that is curated by librarians, and a solid place to start. Very helpful.". Common evaluation criteria include: purpose and intended audience, authority and credibility, accuracy and reliability, currency and timeliness, and objectivity or bias. There are large, famous organizations that are still known to have biases. Facts are objective, while opinions and propaganda are subjective. With over a decade and a half of experience in the education industry, Alexander coaches students to increase their self-awareness and emotional intelligence while achieving skills and the goal of achieving skills and higher education. He holds a BA in Psychology from Florida International University and an MA in Education from Georgia Southern University. This is a great place to kick off your research. When an article or website is authored anonymously it has little credibility. Relevance: Refers to the degree to which the information is related . Authority. Paper Research Paper Sources for a Research Paper. What authority does the author have? Timeliness. Be aware of any credibility scandals that may have befallen even well-established academics. The information provided is accurate to the best of my knowledge. However, the veracity and reliability of online news sources can vary enormouslybe sure to pay careful attention to authority here. For a source to be considered credible it must meet five main obligations: Currency, Relevance . The author and publication should be a trusted authority on the subject you are researching. If youre reading a fact-based source, be sure that it doesnt oversimplify the topic. Finding the authors educational background and areas of expertise will help determine whether the author has experience in what theyre writing about. An article that has been peer-reviewed is credible, but it still might . Browse through the Table of Contents and the Index. How does the source engage with them? When examining online news articles, find out what you can about the organization behind the articles. Search engine optimization (often abbreviated SEO) is a strategy used to increase unpaid views on a website from search engines. Sign up for wikiHow's weekly email newsletter. 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. The handout below can be downloaded to help walk through the process. Open Educational Resources, or OERs, are materials that have been licensed for free use in educational settings. Consulting the index for key terms or the names of important scholars. Both National Geographicand TEDuse .com domain extension, despite the fact that theyre large organizations. This position and the conclusions the author comes to should be supported by evidence from direct observation or from other sources. CRAAP test Currency The timeliness of the information. Use Wikipedia as a starting point that points you toward better sources. 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. You should evaluate the credibility of the information by yourself. Below are some questions to consider once you've found a primary source (s): RUSA's Guide to Evaluating Primary Sources : Who is the author or creator? Students are able to identify how a credible source could be used for a particular need. The peer review process evaluates submissions to academic journals. PsycINFO. 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. The information should be up to date and current. The Purdue OWL is clearly the only safe choice for student writers. Scholarly databases are your best friend when it comes to finding credible sources for research. 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. 2015. This panel of experts determines whether or not the sources used in the article were credible, whether the methodologies used in studies are scientifically sound, and render a professional opinion as to whether or not an article meets the academic standard of integrity. Among them are the author's level of expertise, her point of view, and the source's publication date. Could the evidence be used to draw other conclusions? Assess the quality of their arguments. Look for: Even sources whose conclusions you disagree with can be relevant, as they can strengthen your argument by offering alternative perspectives. Non-scholarly books might deal with scholarly subject matter sociology, for example, or politics. As you examine each source, it is important to evaluate each source to determine the quality of the information provided within it. Copyright 1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. Our daily routine and habits determine what we eat but not when we eat. Scholarly books are often published by university presses (Amherst College Press) and professional associations (American Historical Association), whereas non-scholarly articles are published by commercial publishers (Houghton Mifflin). When printing this page, you must include the entire legal notice. As a general rule, all .gov websites are credible because they have the weight of governmental institutions behind them. In some disciplines, material can become outdated very swiftly. Objective language is more commonly found in fact-based sources, while emotional language is more likely to be found in opinion-based sources and propaganda. Remember that scholarly sources often have a very particular audience in mind, and popular sources are written for a more general audience. At the bottom of most Wikipedia pages, you can find a list of sources that will take you to other pages (see image below). For example, as recently as the 1960s, most scholarly linguists believed African American Vernacular English to be a deficient, broken form of standard American English reflective of African Americans lack of cognitive abilities. Templates for well-designed websites are inexpensive and easily available. There are a lot of sources out there, and it can be hard to tell whats credible and what isnt at first glance. Remember, anyone can publish information on the Internet. To assess an arguments strengths and weaknesses, ask: Situating a source in relation to other sources (lateral reading) can help you determine whether the authors arguments and conclusions are reliable and how you will respond to them in your own writing.