Credible Sources: What Are They? How to Find Credible Sources for Your Research

Credible Sources: What Are They? How to Find Credible Sources for Your Research
Writing a research paper can be difficult especially when it comes to tracking down the information that you can use in it. It is good to note that when writing this type of an academic document you are supposed to use sources that contain information that is accurate and reliable. This is therefore one of the main reasons why the question “what are credible sources for research” perplexes many students. Above all, credible sources contain information that is true. Most of such sources are usually products of rigorous empirical studies. It then follows that you should avoid grey literature when writing a research paper. Grey literature is information sources that are produced not primarily for publication. Going in line with this, they might contain information that is neither valid nor accurate. Notably, such materials are not credible sources for your research.
What are Non-Credible Sources of your Research?
Let’s begin by assessing the resources that can be considered to be non-credible. Most of these sources that you are not supposed to use in your research are usually online. It is therefore such a terrible mistake to use the first material that comes up after you have searched for a certain keyword that is relevant to your topic. Specifically, you should avoid using blogs and social media posts in your research. Such sources are normally either biased or inaccurate and this is why they do not merit to be used in an academic paper. Similarly, if you really understand how to find credible sources for your research then you must be sure to avoid materials that are too old. As a rule of thumb, you should use materials that are not older than ten years. The argument here is that current information is generally accurate and reliable than archaic one.
Where can you find Credible Sources for your Research?
There are a number of avenues where you can find credible sources of information. One of such avenue is online. You should be sure to browse academic journals such as JSTOL among others. Similarly, Google Scholar can help you in tracking down and retrieving online sources that are not only relevant to your topic but also credible. One of the tips for finding credible sources for your research is visiting your library. You will find a lot of credible sources including unpublished dissertations and theses in the library that you can use in your research. You might want to contact us today for more information on how to find credible sources for a research paper.