Academic writing requires students to borrow information from different credible sources to support their arguments. As such, credible documents elicit confidence and positive attitudes among scholars. Basically, these materials contain valuable and accurate evidence to support various assertions. In particular, credible sources have qualified and experienced authors, are impartial, provide accurate information, and are different from others because these articles enhance knowledge.
What Are Credible Sources and Their Purpose
According to a simple definition, credible sources are reliable and trustworthy references that provide accurate, well-researched, and unbiased information. Basically, these articles undergo rigorous evaluation processes, such as peer review, editorial oversight, and fact-checking, to ensure evidence they present is accurate and reliable. For example, credible sources typically include peer-reviewed academic journals, books published by reputable publishers, government and educational institution websites, and established news organizations (Driscoll & Vetter, 2022). In writing, an overall credibility of a source is determined by its accuracy, authorship, objectivity, currency, and coverage. Further on, the main purpose of using credible sources is to support arguments, provide evidence, and enhance an overall quality and trustworthiness of an entire content. Besides, they help readers to differentiate between well-founded information and misinformation or biased perspectives, fostering informed decision-making and critical thinking (Gerber, 2018). As such, scholarly documents are a backbone of scholarly work, professional research, and responsible journalism, contributing to a dissemination of knowledge and an integrity of public discourse. In terms of pages and words, the length of credible sources depends on academic levels and types of works being produced, while general guidelines are:
High School
- Length: High school research papers or assignments might reference articles that range from 1-10 pages.
- Word Count: Articles or book chapters ranging from 500 to 3,000 words are common.
College (Undergraduate)
- Length: Materials might range from 5-20 pages for journal articles, with books or book chapters often used as well.
- Word Count: Journal articles ranging from 2,000 to 8,000 words are standard, while book chapters might be longer.
University (Undergraduate Senior Projects)
- Length: Journal articles or book chapters, typically ranging from 10-30 pages.
- Word Count: Articles ranging from 3,000 to 10,000 words, depending on a depth of a specific topic.
Master’s
- Length: Documents, such as journal articles, books, and comprehensive reports, typically range from 15-50 pages.
- Word Count: Journal articles often range from 5,000 to 12,000 words, while book chapters or reports might be even longer.
Ph.D.
- Length: Comprehensive journal articles, books, dissertations, and extensive reports, range from 20-100+ pages.
- Word Count: Journal articles often range from 6,000 to 15,000 words, with books and dissertations extending much further, sometimes reaching tens of thousands of words.
Types
| Type | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Peer-Reviewed Journals | To provide rigorously evaluated research and findings. | Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) |
| Books by Reputable Publishers | To offer comprehensive and authoritative coverage of a specific topic. | Oxford University Press publications |
| Government Publications | To provide official data, statistics, and policy information to people. | Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports |
| Academic Websites | To share research, course materials, and expert insights. | MIT OpenCourseWare |
| Established News Outlets | To deliver news with adherence to journalistic standards. | The New York Times, BBC, etc. |
| Educational Institutions | To provide research, studies, and academic papers. | Harvard University’s website |
| Professional Organizations | To share industry standards, research, and guidelines. | American Psychological Association (APA) |
| Conference Proceedings | To present recent research findings and innovations. | IEEE Conference Proceedings |
| Theses and Dissertations | To offer in-depth research studies conducted by students. | Ph.D. dissertations from ProQuest |
| Reputable Magazines | To provide well-researched articles and commentary. | The Economist, Scientific American, etc. |
Note: A credible source is a typical article that provides accurate, reliable, and well-supported information, typically verified through expert review and trusted publication processes. For example, the five main characteristics of a credible source are expertise of an author, currency of information, reliability of a publisher, thoroughness of citations, and unbiased presentation of facts (Wertgen et al., 2021). Further on, peer review is an evaluation and examination of scientific, academic, contextual, or professional work by experts in the same field to ensure its validity, quality, and originality before publication. Moreover, a CRAAP test is a research method for evaluating and examining an overall credibility of a source based on aspects of its currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose (Ogden, 2019). Standard examples of credible sources include peer-reviewed journals, books by reputable publishers, government publications, and established news outlets. As such, the best method for evaluating any source’s overall credibility is to assess author’s credentials, publication date, publisher’s reputation, whether it has undergone peer review, and the accuracy and objectivity of details provided (Pehlivanoglu et al., 2021). In summary, people can tell if a source is credible by evaluating author’s credentials, publication date, publisher reputation, presence of peer review, and a particular accuracy and objectivity of an entire content.
How to Choose a Credible Source
To choose a credible source, people evaluate an author’s expertise, a publication’s date and reputation, a peer review process, and an accuracy and objectivity of the information provided. For example, the five factors that make a source credible are author’s credentials, publication date, publisher reputation, peer review process, and objectivity. In this case, a source is credible if it features authoritative authorship, recent publication, reputable publishing, peer review, and unbiased, accurate facts (Snyder, 2019). Moreover, examples of academic dishonesty include plagiarism, cheating on exams, fabrication of data, and unauthorized collaboration on assignments. Finally, people can tell if a given source is primary if this article provides direct, firsthand evidence about an event or topic, whereas a secondary one interprets, analyzes, or summarizes primary sources (Ogden, 2019). In turn, some steps for choosing a credible source include:
- Identify Your Information Needs: Determine a specific type of information you require to ensure a chosen article is relevant to your research topic.
- Consider Author’s Credentials: Check author’s qualifications and expertise to ensure they are knowledgeable and credible in a specific subject area.
- Examine a Publication Source: Assess whether a given publication is from a reputable journal, academic institution, government agency, or established news outlet.
- Check for Peer Review: Verify if a particular materail has undergone a peer-review process, indicating it has been evaluated by experts for accuracy and quality.
- Evaluate a Publisher: Ensure a publisher is reputable and known for rigorous editorial standards, such as academic presses or professional organizations.
- Assess a Date of Publication: Confirm that a particular content is current and relevant, particularly in fields where knowledge rapidly evolves.
- Analyze References and Citations: Check if a given reference includes reliable references and citations, demonstrating thorough research and supporting its credibility.
- Determine Objectivity: Evaluate an entire material for balanced perspectives and evidence-based arguments to avoid biased or opinionated information.
- Cross-Check Information: Verify facts against other reputable references to ensure consistency and reliability.
- Read Reviews and Feedback: Look for reviews or feedback from other experts or readers to gauge an article’s reliability and acceptance in a chosen field of study.
Reliability
Scholars with authority in a specific area of knowledge write credible papers. For example, all reliable materials must have a specific author or authors stated (Driscoll & Vetter, 2022). In this case, one must identify author’s credentials, while they must be trusted. As such, scholars trust authors with valid credentials due to their knowledge contribution, while peer-reviewed articles are reliable. Besides, articles from renowned academic institutions meet a credibility criterion (Pehlivanoglu et al., 2021). Thus, experienced and qualified authors write credible and unbiased articles. In turn, people can tell if a website is credible by checking author’s qualifications, publication date, its domain and publisher reputation, presence of citations, and overall objectivity and accuracy of the information.
Trusted Information
Credible sources have unbiased information concerning specific facts. For example, the five criteria to determine if a specific source is credible are author qualifications, publication date, publisher reputation, peer review status, and a presence of unbiased, accurate details (Gerber, 2018). As such, reliable articles contain arguments or assertions that show all points of view relating to a specific issue. In this case, good materials include adequate facts to support a particular argument. Besides, these academic documents inform about a unique subject matter without steering a target audience in a specific direction (Ogden, 2019). Thus, credible references do not have preconceived notions but seek to communicate accurate information.
Accurate Evidence
Credible sources contain accurate and correct information. For example, a reliable article contains verifiable facts and relies on research to support presented insights (Driscoll & Vetter, 2022). Besides, these studies have adequate citations that acknowledge a primary source of information. Furthermore, qualified and experienced writers pay attention when referencing outside articles (Wertgen et al., 2021). In turn, trusted articles have correctly formatted references. Thus, credible sources are relevant to an area of knowledge since they contain trusted information.
Shaping Knowledge
Credible sources are different from implausible ones because valid studies enhance knowledge. For example, scholarly articles contain recent information in an area of study, and they seek to address a knowledge gap in such a field (Driscoll & Vetter, 2022). Besides, these studies relate to other materials in their specific fields of knowledge. In turn, they use the most recent research methods to improve on previous experience (Ogden, 2019). Hence, details and facts from valid documents add ideas to one’s research paper and support one’s research question. Thus, credible materials are unique since such articles improve the knowledge available.
Criteria
| Criterion | Description |
|---|---|
| Author’s Credentials | Evaluate author’s qualifications, expertise, and institutional affiliations. |
| Publication Date | Check a provided date of publication to ensure the information is current and relevant. |
| Publisher Reputation | Assess a credibility of a publisher, including academic presses, professional organizations, and reputable media outlets. |
| Peer Review | Determine if a chosen reference has undergone a peer-review process, indicating that it has been evaluated by experts. |
| References and Citations | Ensure a given article includes a comprehensive list of references and citations from other credible works. |
| Bias and Objectivity | Evaluate an entire material for balanced perspectives and evidence-based information to avoid bias. |
| Accuracy and Reliability | Verify an overall accuracy of facts and details through cross-checking with other credible references. |
| Purpose and Audience | Understand an intended purpose and target audience of a given document to assess its suitability. |
| Writing Style and Clarity | Examine a specific writing style for professionalism, clarity, and absence of errors. |
| Reputation in a Field | Consider an article’s reputation and how it is viewed by experts and scholars in a relevant field. |
Common Mistakes
- Ignoring Author’s Credentials: Failing to check author’s qualifications and expertise can result in relying on details from an unqualified reference.
- Overlooking a Publication Date: Using outdated documents can lead to inaccuracies, especially in fields where information changes rapidly.
- Relying on Non-Peer-Reviewed Sources: Depending on materials that have not been peer-reviewed may introduce unverified and unreliable information.
- Not Evaluating Publisher Reputation: Ignoring a publisher’s reputation can result in using articles from publishers with low editorial standards.
- Assuming All Websites Are Credible: Believing that all online information is reliable can lead to using biased, inaccurate, or non-scholarly references.
- Forgetting to Cross-Check Information: Not verifying facts across multiple credible documents can lead to spreading misinformation.
- Ignoring Bias and Objectivity: Using biased materials without recognizing their lack of objectivity can skew research findings and conclusions.
- Overlooking References and Citations: Failing to check if a particular article includes reliable references can indicate that a particular content is not well-supported.
- Using Secondary Sources as Primary: Relying on secondary materials instead of primary documents can result in a loss of original context and details.
- Disregarding Expert Reviews and Feedback: Ignoring reviews and feedback from other experts or readers can miss important evaluations of an article’s credibility.
Summing Up
Credible sources are suitable for academic research. Basically, authors with official positions in science write reliable papers, and they explore an area of knowledge and gather data to support unbiased claims. In this case, skilled authors prepare scholarly documents that contain accurate information. Further on, they use sufficient citations to acknowledge borrowed facts and details. As such, it is possible for one to verify an entire content contained in reliable matterials. Then, reputable sources that have correctly formatted references are unique because they improve knowledge. They also focus on a knowledge gap and present evidene and arguments that improve on the existing information. As a result, valid materials use the most modern research methods to support knowledge that relates to one’s area of study.
References
Driscoll, D., & Vetter, M. (2022). Writing spaces: Readings on writing (Vol. 3). Parlor Press.
Gerber, L. (2018). Cited!: Identifying credible information online. Rosen Publishing.
Ogden, J. (2019). Thinking critically about research: A step by step approach. Routledge.
Pehlivanoglu, D., Lin, T., Deceus, F., Heemskerk, A., Ebner, N. C., & Cahill, B. S. (2021). The role of analytical reasoning and source credibility on the evaluation of real and fake full-length news articles. Cognitive Research: Principles and Implications, 6(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41235-021-00292-3
Snyder, H. (2019). Literature review as a research methodology: An overview and guidelines. Journal of Business Research, 104, 333–339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2019.07.039
Wertgen, A. G., Richter, T., & Rouet, J.-F. (2021). The role of source credibility in the validation of information depends on the degree of (im-)plausibility. Discourse Processes, 58(5–6), 513–528. https://doi.org/10.1080/0163853x.2021.1881342