PLEASANT GROVE LIBRARIES
Research Tools
The Big 6: Information Problem Solving Skills
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Task Definition
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Information Seeking Strategies
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Location and Access
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Use of Information
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Synthesis
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Evaluation
What is a Credible Source?
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According to the University of Maryland Library, a credible source is unbiased and supported with evidence, one that the reader can trust. We trust the author's ideas are his or her own and they are supported with evidence.
When writing a research paper, always use and cite credible sources! Citing non-credible sources can damage the relationship between the writer and reader.
Credible Sources
Credible
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Journals by well-known and respected authors in their specific fields.
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Information from reputable institutions like Mayo Clinic, Department of Justice, and Universities.
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Materials published in the past ten years.
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Websites (a general rule): The more information available, the more credible the website. If there is a specific author, a clear audience, informative and unbiased information, and up-to-date information, it is likely a credible source. Websites ending in .edu, .gov, or .org are credible.
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Non-Credible
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Blogs, Facebook posts, or other self-authored sites.
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Research articles without citations.
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Websites with no clear author or with information not from a government or University department.
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Materials published over 15 years ago, or with out-of-date information.
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Websites (a general rule): If there is no clear author or the author is unreliable, and there are no citations for where the information originated, it is not credible. If the purpose is not informative but has other motives, such as to persuade, it is not credible. If the website is not regularly updated or the information is outdated or false, it is not credible. Wikipedia is NOT a credible source!!
Ask these questions to determine the credibility of your source:(provided by EasyBib)
Contributor / Author
Has the author written several articles on the topic, and is he/she an expert in his/her field?
Can you contact them? Do they have social media profiles?
Have other credible individuals referenced this source or author?
What have reviews said about the author or work?
Publisher
What do you know about the publisher or sponsor? Are they well-respected?
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Do they take responsibility for the content? Are they selective about what they publish?
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Take a look at their other content. Do these other articles generally appear credible?
Currency
When was the source published or updated?
Does the publication date make sense in relation to the information presented in your argument?
Does the source even have a date?
Reproduction
Was it reproduced? If so, from where?
If it was reproduced, was it done so with permission?
Is there a copyright or disclaimer?
Relevance
Is the content relevant to your thesis statement?
Is the tone (academic, casual, etc.) appropriate for your project?
Accuracy
Is the data verifiable and accurate?
Are there spelling or grammatical errors? If online, are any of the links dead?
Bias
Does the author or organization have a bias? Does bias make sense in relation to your argument?
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Is the purpose of the content to inform, entertain, or spread an agenda?
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Are there ads?
Citations
Is there a bibliography or are there citations or links to related credible sources?
Conversely, are there credible sites or sources that refer or link to this content? In what context?
Complete
Is the source comprehensive?
Sources
“Is My Source Credible?” Is My Source Credible? - UMUC Library, University of Maryland, sites.umuc.edu/library/libhow/credibility.cfm.
Staff, EasyBib. “The Free Automatic Bibliography Composer.” EasyBib, Chegg, 1 Jan. 2018, www.easybib.com/.
Credible Sources for Research
Encyclopaedia Britannica
Fact-checked online encyclopedia with hundreds of thousands of objective articles, biographies, videos, and images.
History Channel
Full episodes of your favorite HISTORY series, and thousands of historical articles and videos.
PBS NOVA
PBS award-winning documentary series focusing on science.
Fact Monster
Free reference site for students, teachers, and parents. Get homework help and find facts on thousands of interesting subjects.
Time for Kids
An academic current-events magazine and digital platform for classrooms all across the U.S.
Kidtopia
A Google custom student safe search engine for elementary students, indexing only educator approved web sites.
Google Scholar
Freely accessible web search engine that indexes the full text of scholarly literature across publishing formats and disciplines.
National Geographic Kids
Amazing facts about animals, science, history, and geography, along with fun games, videos, and more!
Unsplash
Beautiful, free Creative Commons images and photos that you can download and use for any project.
Citations & Plagiarism
What is Plagiarism?
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Plagiarism is taking credit for someone else's words and ideas without their consent. Examples of plagiarism include directly copying and pasting someone else's words into your paper without citation, copying a paper your previously wrote, and sloppy paraphrasing.
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Not everyone uses someone else’s words or ideas on purpose. Properly citing your sources can help you avoid accidental plagiarism. If you want to use someone else's words or ideas in your paper, use quotation marks or write the idea in your own words, and always cite the original source. The most common styles for citing sources are MLA and APA format.
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Click here to learn more about plagiarism and how to avoid it.
Resources for Citing Sources
EasyBib
Automatic works cited and bibliography formatting for MLA, APA, and Chicago / Turabian citation styles.
Purdue OWL
Learn how to cite sources using MLA eighth edition, including the list of works cited and in-text citations.