When choosing sources for your research, use the criteria below to determine which sources are good enough to make the CUT! CURRENT
USEFUL
TRUSTWORTHY
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Characteristics such as writing style, vocabulary, and motive can help you judge how useful and trustworthy a source is for your particular information need. The characteristics listed below mean that scholarly sources are more likely to be trustworthy and accurate sources of information:
Scholarly Sources | Popular Sources | |
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General definition: | Written by experts in a particular discipline for other experts in the same discipline. Also referred to as peer-reviewed sources or refereed sources. | Written for the general public. Examples include magazines articles, newspaper articles, popular books, websites, etc. |
Writing style: | Objective, neutral, and factual. | Usually informal, and sometimes sensationalized or dramatized. |
Motive: | To inform. Conclusions are supported by facts and by references to other scholarly publications. | Often to inform -- but sometimes to persuade, to make you feel emotional about an issue, or to sell you something. |
Vocabulary: | Usually highly technical and discipline-specific. | Simple and easily understood by the general public. |
Authors: |
Authors' names, affiliations, and contact info are provided. Authors usually work for academic or research institutions where an advanced degree (such as a PhD) is required for employment. |
Authors are not always named. Authors may not have any particular expertise on the topic they are writing about. |
Editorial process: | Content is vetted through a peer-review process before publication to ensure accuracy and trustworthiness. |
Content may be edited for grammar and style, and content may be fact checked, but content is not put through a peer-review process. |
Trustworthiness: | Because of the characteristics above, scholarly sources are more likely to be trustworthy and accurate sources of information. | Because of the characteristics above, you should be cautious of the trustworthiness of popular sources. |