Tips on Research

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Today, thousands of pieces of information influence us everyday. Just imagine, one Time Magazine publication contains more information than the average 12th century person would have known about through his or her entire life. There is an influx of information around us, and most of it is accessible through general search engines while others through secure databases. Thus, when doing research, it is important to distinguish valid, useful, and authoritative sources from useless ones.

The following criteria are possessed by a "valid" source:

1. Currency of source: Is the source current or recent?

2. Does the source have an authoritative publisher like academic publications

3. Is the author credible? Check the credentials of the writer: are they an expert or authority on the subject presented in the content of the source.

4. A valid source possesses a reference or works cited page that lists any authoritative resources used to establish the grounds for the information of the source.

5. Check legitimate peer reviews of the source to ensure that the source is rated authoritatively.