Finding and recognizing credible research sources Academic Sources Finding and recognizing credible research sources

Just because it’s in print, on-line, on the television, radio, made into a movie or documentary or on Youtube doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true! How do we ascertain credibility? What criteria do we use?

If a publication depends on the money raised by advertisers, one must always be skeptical about that medium’s impartiality. Vogue will not feature articles about animal testing in the cosmetic industry. Loreal, Almay, Urban Decay etc. would pull their advertisements in a heartbeat. Commercial interests—to a very great extent—dictate what information is provided in a specific medium. Be aware of the commercial influence on the dissemination of information.

Professional organizations interested in disseminating the latest, well researched, legitimate information in their field publish in professional journals that are peer reviewed. Peer reviewed means other experts in the field have read the author’s work before agreeing that it represents the standards, clarity and accuracy their field expects of expert research. Publications in these mediums are understood to be free from commercial interests and motivations. This means they can engage in information that Appeals to a very small community Information that might anger powerful interests Information that challenges the status quo / s.o.p. etc. Academic Journals

Subscription costs are millions of dollars, annually. Journals are expensive, because the entire cost of production depends on income from subscriptions rather than advertising. University libraries subscribe to these journals. The cost of these subscriptions counts for a great portion of their budget. Some journals cost as much as 45,000 a year! “librarians fight to balance demand for access to prestigious online journals while maintaining a collection of books in print and keeping up with changing technology, “ Subscription costs are millions of dollars, annually.

Your tuition gives you access to these journals, hundreds of which are collected in content specific scholarly databases. There’s an important conversation happening in many countries regarding the practice of limiting access to tax-payer funded research to university dues-paying faculty and students. To learn more, click on the Open Access link below. Open Access

For an initial foray into researching your topic, this page will get you started (and may provide all you need for this class). Home Page. When you begin researching an area that is important to you, you will want to familiarize yourself with the specialized databases relevant to your field of inquiry. UNT's Research Homepage UNT’s Databases

The next step to ensure you use your time wisely is to investigate how your field of enquiry is categorized. If I type in voodoo, here’s what happens Voodoo During the Reagan administration, an economic philosophy popularly known as trickle down economics was nick-named voodoo economics by its detractors. What about these word combinations? Religious history voodoo Voodoo religion Subject Words Matter!

Subject Headings Information: Library of Congress Subject Headings GO HERE for the relevant words associated with your topic Subject Headings

Ask the Reference Librarian It will take some time to familiarize yourself with the library’s website / interface services. You will be well served to invest that time! When you’re really specific about the help you need, this will be a vital resource: References Ask the Reference Librarian