What type of source credibility issue is this

In some cases, bias is intentional. A group with its own agenda may sponsor research or information, and this sponsorship may influence the results. Bias can also be unintentional. A writer's perspective may prevent him or her from being able to see all sides of an issue. Sometimes you need unbiased facts to support your point.

But other times you might want people's opinions, and that's OK as long as you acknowledge the source's perspective in your work. While bias can be difficult to detect, be aware that it can exist in any kind of source, including things you find through the library. In the academic publishing world, books and articles go through a rigorous editorial process in which an editor or group of scholars evaluate the work's quality. When it comes to journal articles, this process is called peer review.

Peer-reviewed articles are considered high quality, because the review process helps to filter out sources that are written by unqualified or biased authors. Finally, with any source, consider when it was published or last updated. As a rule of thumb, if a source is even passively trying to convince you to purchase something, it may not be credible. Newspapers can be a great way to glean first-hand information about a historical event or situate your research topic within a broader context.

However, the veracity and reliability of online news sources can vary enormously—be sure to pay careful attention to authority here. The peer review process evaluates submissions to academic journals. A panel of reviewers in the same subject area decide whether a submission should be accepted for publication based on a set of criteria. 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.

For preliminary research and getting to know a new topic, you could use a combination of primary, secondary, and tertiary sources. As you dig deeper into your scholarly research, books and academic journals are usually your best bet. 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.

Google Scholar is a search engine for academic sources. This is a great place to kick off your research.

You can also consider using an academic database like LexisNexis or government open data to get started. Legitimate OERs can be a great resource. Be sure they have a Creative Commons license allowing them to be duplicated and shared, and meet the CRAAP test criteria, especially in the authority section.

The OER Commons is a public digital library that is curated by librarians, and a solid place to start. It can be especially challenging to verify the credibility of online sources. They often do not have single authors or publication dates, and their motivation can be more difficult to ascertain. Websites are not subject to the peer-review and editing process that academic journals or books go through, and can be published by anyone at any time.

When evaluating the credibility of a website, look first at the URL. In general, check for vague terms, buzzwords, or writing that is too emotive or subjective. Beware of grandiose claims, and critically analyze anything not cited or backed up by evidence. Social media posts, blogs, and personal websites can be good resources for a situational analysis or grounding of your preliminary ideas, but exercise caution here.

These highly personal and subjective sources are seldom reliable enough to stand on their own in your final research product. Similarly, Wikipedia is not considered a reliable source due to the fact that it can be edited by anyone at any time. However, it can be a good starting point for general information and finding other sources. The information provided is accurate to the best of my knowledge. The purpose of my source is to educate or inform, not to sell a product or push a particular opinion.

My source avoids vague or grandiose claims, and writing that is too emotive or subjective. Backlinks to other sources are up-to-date and not broken. Peer review is a process of evaluating submissions to an academic journal.

Utilizing rigorous criteria, a panel of reviewers in the same subject area decide whether to accept each submission for publication. The CRAAP test is an acronym to help you evaluate the credibility of a source you are considering using. You can commit academic dishonesty with the best of intentions, such as helping a friend cheat on a paper. 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.

E-Mail Us Hours. Tell us how we're doing. Is My Source Credible? Articles 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 this checklist to determine if an article is credible or not: Is the source in-depth more than a page or two , with an abstract, a reference list, and documented research or data? Who is the audience researchers, professors, students, general population, professionals in a specific field?

What is the purpose of the source provide information or report original research or experiments, to entertain or persuade the general public, or provide news or information specific to a trade or industry? Who are the authors? Are they respected and well-known in the field? Are they easily identifiable?

Have they written about other similar topics? What are their credentials? Is the source reputable? Is it published on a reputable, non-biased web site, or in a peer-reviewed, scholarly journal, and not from a newspaper, blog, or wiki?

Is the source current for your topic? Is there supporting documentation graphs, charts, illustrations or other supporting documentation? Who is the author and what are his or her credentials? Have they written other content on this topic?