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What makes a source credible?
A credible source can be identified by some of the following characteristics:
- Is the source in-depth or suitable for the level of research that you need?
- Is it longer than a page? Does it have an abstract, a reference list, documented research or data? Maybe you just need an overview?
- Who is the audience?
- Academic, for an audience of college students, professors, and professionals OR is it popular, for a general audience?
- What is the purpose of the source?
- To provide information, original research, entertainment, to give or sway an opinion, to sell you something, to provide news or specific information for trade or industry?
- Who are the authors/creators/supporters?
- Are they a respected entity, well-known in the field? Are they easily identifiable? Have they written about other similar topics? What are their credentials? Would they be considered "experts" on the topic?
- Is the source reputable?
- Is it from a library database, a scholarly journal, or an authoritative web site?
- Is the source adequate for your topic?
- Does it fulfill at least some of your criteria or provide some relevant information that you need?
- Is there supporting documentation?
- Are there links or credit given to outside or referenced resources (these include graphs, charts, illustrations, statistics, references, or other supporting documentation)?
Web Domains in Scholarly Research
Where does your source come from?
- university (.edu) University/college web sites are usually reliable. (Check the college/ university). They are a source of many university journals which are not included in general databases. Do not use student papers.
- special interest (.org) Professional organizations end in .org. But, some .orgs promote a specific agenda. Look at the website authors in "About us" and check their authority
- government or military (.gov or .mil) In general they are the most reliable sources.
- company website (.com) Good for information about a particular company. Be aware that company websites are used to promote, so be sure the information is non-biased
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