Determining credibility of your sources is critical to selecting appropriate information sources for your research assignments. Scholarly journals are regarded as the most credible types of sources because of the rigorous peer review process they undergo.
You will likely consult non-scholarly sources including newspaper articles and websites for general background information on your chosen topic; thus, you will also need to determine credibility of these sources.
Here are some ways to identify credibility:
Authority |
- Can you identify the author(s)? If the source is anonymous, why?
- Can you identify author credentials (education, job expertise)? Can these be verified elsewhere?
- Is the author affiliated with an academic institution or credible organization?
- Is there an "About Us" page that describes the organization?
- Do a Google search for the author's name (enclose in quotation marks) and see what kind of sites come up. Do they seem credible?
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Accuracy |
- Does the information have grammatical/spelling errors?
- Does it list sources or links to factual information? Are the links updated or do they lead to 404 error pages?
- Is there a bibliography?
- Can this information be verified elsewhere?
- What kind of editorial vetting did the information undergo?
- Is the research methodology adequately explained?
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Audience |
- Who is the intended audience for the information? Academics? General public?
- Is the information appropriate for your research assignment?
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Bias |
- Does the author present objective arguments or make it clear when they're expressing opinions?
- Is the website personal or institutional?
- What other views are expressed?
- Are there advertisements? If so, how are they differentiated from the content?
- What is the purpose of the information? To inform? To persuade? To market?
- What does the URL say about the website? .com=Commercial, .edu=Educational, .gov=Government, .mil=Military, .org=Non-Profit
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Currency |
- Is the information outdated or up to date?
- Can you ascertain content's date of creation?
- Are the links working?
- Credible websites will display "last updated" dates; working links indicate the website is being maintained regularly.
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Source: University of South Carolina, Upstate Library