The Ultimate Guides to Identify The Credible Sources
The Ultimate Guides to Identify the credible sources
Many college courses need research papers, and the quality of your work is only as good as your research. The internet makes researching practically any topic easier and more accessible than ever before, but it also comes with its own set of obstacles. How can you tell if you're using a credible source among all the information available online?
Here is some tips to help you identify the reliable source:
1. Take a closer Look at the author
2. Check the domain name
The legitimacy of every domain lies in the three letters at the end of the site’s domain, such as “edu”, “gov”, “org”, and “com”. Generally, .edu and.gov websites are credible but we should be aware of sites that use this suffix to mislead us to malware websites or other virus injections to our devices. Also, watch out for some .org websites that could potentially affect your overall searching on the internet. Some organizations are being paid by their supporters to attack or oppose to the government action, for instance, Thus, it would take us sometimes to determine if the information is biased or with a neutral point of view.
This could be done by finding another credible site; see if that contradicts to your original source because some sources are just the malware in disguise waiting to attack you in many possible ways and trying to mislead you through their prompting links.
Look for the authoritative source and see who’s the one behind those articles. This could lead you to the reliable source and remember to check the date of publication, in some cases, some information will not be taken into an account because they are outdated.
Here are some Credible Sources (Websites)
List of Reliable sources for Research papers:
- Google Scholar. It’s the most popular and easy-to-use search engine that can present scholarly pieces of writing on any topic you require. Google Scholar is free to use, and you can choose to look for any type of publishing format.
- JSTOR. JSTOR is an online library of all kinds of sources, such as books, articles, and journals. Even though access is limited, it can be a great help for students. It is also considered one of the most reliable databases since the sources are selected very carefully before being placed there.
- Microsoft Academic. You can use this web search engine for free. Not only it helps you find the necessary literature, but it tracks the most recent academic publications and research in the field of your interest! Moreover, it was relaunched in 2016, featuring a more user-friendly interface.
- SAGE Publishing. This independent publisher gives you open access to academic journals and much more in case of your subscription! Every year they drop thousands of high-quality content in the form of books and journals, so it’s a pretty reputable source.
- Taylor and Francis Online. It is quite well-known by many researchers and has a good reputation. They publish peer-reviewed journal articles. This online tool gives you access to all the journals published by this company. Free admission is limited, so you should double-check the terms first.
- ScienceDirect. ScienceDirect is a massive database of scientific and medical literature, which you can access via subscription. All 18 million pieces published there are known to be credible. Therefore, this tool can be more than efficient and reliable for your research.
- Academia. Academia is a free resource similar to Google Scholar, where you can look through and even download any paper you want. However, sometimes the authors only upload a part of their work. So you would need to contact them yourself if you’re interested.
- Scopus. It is one of the biggest databases of peer-reviewed journals and articles. Note that they only offer the option of checking the abstracts and citations for free, but not the papers’ full content. So you need to review the terms to gain full access.
List of Credible News Sources:
- BBC News. BBC News is one of the most trusted sources you can ever find. They post all the fresh pieces of news in text, video, or audio format on their official website. Since it’s a TV channel, you don’t need to pay extra to access the content.
- The Economist. The Economist is a well-known and respected weekly magazine with a focus on international business, economics, and politics. It is also available online. Even though the subscription fee is not that small, people say it’s totally worth it.
- The Wall Street Journal. It is another American-based giant of the business journals’ world. It appears to be extremely popular and published both digitally and in broadsheet format. You can always find business news for free, but the readers still recommend investing in The Wall Street Journal.
- Google News. You can think of Google News as a personal organizer of the most relevant headlines. You just set up your preferences, and this tool generates an endless stream of articles based on your interests. It’s believed to be the largest of its kind.
- The Guardian. We could never miss The Guardian! This British newspaper, staying in business for over two hundred years now, is one of the people’s favorites. Their online publications are free for everybody, but they would appreciate your input since they are running on donations.
- CNN. CNN is another international TV channel which mainly covers business and politics. It’s amongst the most popular channels in the US and is famous for delivering breaking news. It’s a great place to start if you want to keep your finger on the pulse of the North American news,
List of Credible Sources on Natural Science:
NASA. There is no denying that NASA is quite reliable. It’s a governmental source of information about the most recent discoveries and explorations of space. Not only can you find videos, reports, and pictures there, but you can join the live streams of such events as launching and landing!
Scientific American. It’s an absolute must-have for everyone interested in science and technology! The works of the most famous scientists were published there. Even Albert Einstein’s article featured in one of the issues! You can either buy a paper version of the magazine or subscribe to their website.
- Popular Science. This science-oriented source is more for the general audience. Even though it covers various discussions and doesn’t always present the latest discoveries, Popular Science is still a reliable and respectable source of information. As a journal, it has won multiple awards!
- National Geographic. For the lovers of nature, this source is perfect for exploring the most exciting news and documentaries on any topic you want! It’s originally a TV network, but you can also check out their website and even a smartphone application. It’s also known for being reliable as they provide good sourcing and evidence.