Using Credible Sources How do you assess the credibility and reliability of the sources you find?

The quality of the information you use is very important The quality of the information you use is very important. You do not want to base your paper on information that is biased, inaccurate, out of date, can’t be verified, or is not from an authoritative source. This is one reason for using Databases as the information found there has already been evaluated. Also citation information is provided with most database articles. Some areas to consider as you evaluate a source are:

You may find information that just doesn’t seem believable You may find information that just doesn’t seem believable. Compare multiple sources to see if you find the same information on multiple sites. Also check the site to find information about the author’s credentials. What sources does the author use? Is there a works cited or other links to additional resources provided? Is the article clearly and well written? Are there spelling or grammatical errors? Can you tell why the author wrote the information? Be on the lookout for bias.

The tutorial is designed to help you develop skill at evaluating the sites that you find. Please take time to read the information and to click on the appropriate pictures in order to get the benefit of the tutorial.