Importance of Credible Resources
Having credible resources to support the views or facts that are being presented is crucial to the strength of the paper that is being written. A paper that does not have credible resources loses its impact on the audience. It is essential that when writing a historical document credible factual resources be used to avoid making faulty assumptions or misrepresenting Historical events or individuals. The link provided below provides an in depth look at identifying scholarly or credible resources.
Identifying A Scholarly Source
Checklist to Aid in the Determination of Credibility
You should always evaluate sources of information - books, magazines, etc. - but need to pay special attention to websites. Why? Because anyone can publish anything on the Internet. Although much of the information is legitimate, some of it is not - whether it is misinformation based on a lack of knowledge or information that is intentionally misleading.
There are six major factors to consider when evaluating a source:
- Currency: when was it written/published?
- Authority: who wrote/published it? Is the author qualified? Be sure to look for an "about us" link on a website or some kind of staff list.
- Purpose & content: is the purpose to sell, to entertain, to sway your opinion, or to educate?
- Objectivity & accuracy: is the information correct? does the author or sponsor have a bias or agenda to promote? Are references given for the sources of data/statistics?
- Writing style: is the grammar and spelling correct? -
-How?: How comprehensive is the resource? Does it go into the depth you need?_