Finding credible sources
Every field of study answers that question differently, but there are some ideas that are generally considered invalid, no matter whether an information source is scholarly or non-scholarly, and no matter what discipline or subject area it falls under.
Ideology, agenda, and bias
- Ideology is a belief system shared by a group of people. Religions, political groups, and advocacy groups have ideologies. Not all ideologies are bad. And just because an author subscribes to an ideology does not mean that the information source necessarily has an ideological agenda.
- Agenda is a set of goals shaped by an ideology. If an information source has an agenda, that means it is not strictly informational or educational. It is probably actually a persuasive information source or a piece of propaganda, even if it is pretending to be otherwise.
- Bias is the tendency of an information source to selectively over-emphasize some things and de-emphasize other things in such a way that it unfairly favors a certain conclusion or point of view. A credible information source will not try to tell you how to feel about the information.
Accuracy
- If the information is not current, is it still accurate?
- Can the information be verified or supported by other sources? Do other sources report the same findings?
- Is evidence given to support the information?
- Are sources of information cited?
- Are the links complete and accurate, or are there discrepancies?
- Website? Does the site appear to be carefully edited, or are there typographical errors? Is the information presented correct, or not?
You should use multiple information sources for your research, and you will notice discrepancies. If there are no discrepancies in the information, the source is probably accurate. If there are discrepancies, you need to decide which information source(s) you trust more, based on the other evaluative criteria listed in this guide.