LibGuides: ENGL-C1000 Baker: Evaluating Sources

What's a Credible Source?

It depends!

What kind of sources does your instructor require? From what timeframe?
Recognize that date and authority can be subjective indicators of credibility.
- Example: AIDS treatments have progressed since the 1980s and 1990s. If your paper is about historical treatments, credible sources would be from the 1980s and 1990s.
- Example: If you need to specifically share a conservative political perspective about gun rights, a credible source would be the NRA website. You would need to indicate to your reader awareness of the source's perspective / be clear about its use in your paper.
Understand that you can't determine accuracy without checking other sources. One article making a claim is not as strong as many articles drawing similar conclusions.
- Example: You might see an article reporting about a scientific study in a well-known newspaper. To make sure it's an accurate representation of the study, check the actual study. If the news article is inaccurate, it would be best to cite the study. However, if your paper is about how news can misrepresent studies, you would want to cite both sources.

“Good” sources include those that provide complete, current, factual information, and/or credible arguments based on the information creator’s original research, expertise, and/or use of other reliable sources.
Whether a source is a good choice for you depends on your information needs and how you plan to use the source.

The SIFT* and PICK approach to evaluating sources helps you select quality sources by practicing:
- Lateral Reading (SIFT): fact-checking by examining other sources and internet fact-checking tools; and
- Vertical Reading (PICK): examining the source itself to decide whether it is the best choice for your needs.

*The SIFT method was created by Mike Caulfield under a CC BY 4.0 International License.

Check your emotions before engaging
Do you know and trust the author, publisher, publication, or website?
- If not, use the following fact-checking strategies before reading, sharing, or using the source in your research

Don’t focus on the source itself for now
Instead, read laterally
- Learn about the source’s author, publisher, publication, website, etc. from other sources, such as Wikipedia

Focus on the information rather than getting attached to a particular source
If you can’t determine whether a source is reliable, trade up for a higher quality source
Professional fact checkers build a list of sources they know they can trust

Identify whether the source is original or re-reporting
Consider what context might be missing in re-reporting
Go “upstream” to the original source
- Was the version you saw accurate and complete?

Determine the type of source (book, article, website, social media post, etc.)
- Why and how it was created? How it was reviewed before publication?
Determine the genre of the source (factual reporting, opinion, ad, satire, etc.)
Consider whether the type and genre are appropriate for your information needs

Consider how well the content of the source addresses your specific information needs
- Is it directly related to your topic?
- How does it help you explore a research interest or develop an argument?

Determine when the source was first published or posted
- Is the information in the source (including cited references) up-to-date?
Consider whether newer sources are available that would add important information

Consider how this source relates to the body of knowledge on the topic
- Does it echo other experts’ contributions? Does it challenge them in important ways?
- Does this source contribute something new to the conversation?
Consider what voices or perspectives are missing or excluded from the conversation
- Does this source represent an important missing voice or perspective on the topic?
- Are other sources available that better include those voices or perspectives?
How does this source help you to build and share your own knowledge?