E FFECTIVE S TUDY S KILLS Reliable Academic Sources

A IM AND O BJECTIVES Aim: To suggest ways to ensure reliability of sources for academic research Objectives: Name at least two website address suffixes which suggest reliability Explain at least four reliability checks students can perform on sources of information Outline two practical steps students can employ to be an effective academic researcher

R ELIABILITY OF WEBSITES Wikipedia Websites ending:.edu.gov.ac.uk Generally can be relied upon – academic research or government statistics. Why is academic research reliable? Peer review.

CREDIBILITY ACCURACY REASONABLENESS SUPPORT

H OW TO ENSURE RELIABILITY CREDIBILITY Who is the author? Who is the publisher/ What is the reputation of the publication? Who has the piece been written for? Are links to other websites/sources still active? What is the writing style?

H OW TO ENSURE RELIABILITY ACCURACY Is the source recent and up-to-date? Is the source precise and factual or does it make generalised statements or assumptions? (As we all know……) Are opinions expressed and persuasive language used? Is there sufficient depth and breadth of discussion? Is sufficient evidence provided to support arguments?

H OW TO ENSURE RELIABILITY REASONABLENESS Are there inconsistencies/contradictions in the argument presented? Is the source unbiased and objective? Is there evidence of balanced evaluation? Are conclusions logical given the discussion presented? Is there evidence of in-depth research?

H OW TO ENSURE RELIABILITY SUPPORT Can you corroborate the information contained in your sources used? In certain contexts, you can use unreliable sources to expose injustices or unqualified/unproven statements.

H OW THE SCHOOL CAN HELP YOU …. BNDS already pays for a number of subscriptions to academic publications including: National Geographic The Economist Foreign Affairs Chronical of Higher Education TES Magazine New Scientist Coming Soon…….. JSTOR

P RACTICAL STEPS Your teachers have studied their subjects – use them! Take notice of recommended reading lists or information sources To avoid plagiarism, don’t have printed/or online sources of information with you when writing – just your notes Collect and record your sources as you go – any web page or website used, copy the URL and date accessed contemporaneously Use a reliability checklist Use the required style of academic referencing – next session!

R EFERENCES – COMPILED USING WWW. HARVARDGENERATOR. COM What is effective academic writing. Available: effective-academic-writing. Last accessed 29th Sep effective-academic-writing Robert Harris Virtual Salt. [ONLINE] Available at: [Accessed 29 September 14]. Samira Saliba Phillips Webpage credibility checklist. [ONLINE] Available at: lesson3-webpagecredibilitychecklist.pdf?sfvrsn=2. [Accessed 29 September 14]. lesson3-webpagecredibilitychecklist.pdf?sfvrsn=2 Emma Place Internet detective. [ONLINE] Available at: [Accessed 29 September 14]. Ted Talks. (2012). How to separate fact and fiction online. [Online Video]. 01 November. Available from: ction_online. [Accessed: 29 September 2014]. ction_online