-:â§Finding Sourcesâ§:-
"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself in any direction you choose. Youâre on your own. And you know what you know. You are the guy whoâll decide where to go."
- Dr. Seuss.
The internet is a very large place, and countless times youâll hear people telling you to do your own research. However, informational literacy is hard enough without even knowing what to look for in a source, let alone how to read it.
What to Look for in a Source
There are a few good things to look for in a credible and reputable source. As can be inferred from the meaning of credible and reputable, a credible source is going to come from someone or something that is worthy of confidence, and a reputable source is going to be one that has a good reputation.
Peer review is the review of a scientific study, academic paper, or similar article by other members of their field with similar or greater credentials. The paper clears several other people who are actively trying to dash the hopes and dreams of the author by finding flaws with their design and reasoning. I mostly kid, but it is a rigorous process that results in the paper being as high a quality as it can be.
Academic Journals are periodical publications where the most recent scholarship on a subject are routinely published. Often these are shortened to just âjournalsâ or otherwise known as âscholarly journalsâ, âscientific journalsâ, or âpeer reviewed Journalsâ These are peer reviewed before being included, and themselves often a good place to search for information.Â
If a source you find has been published in a journal, youâre in incredibly safe territory for reliable sources! There might be competing information from other scholars to review on the subject, but not only do these publications often include more reading material on the subject cited within, they are often followed by links to others who have cited them in their own writing on the subject.
University Publications are also very safe places to look for sources. While not themselves always a research paper, they are often the culmination of the knowledge that the university has gathered and reflect the most recent scholarship on a topic; least they risk making the university look bad. These are sometimes found on a universityâs website, in a professor's online class notes, a textbook, or similar writing linked to someone in the field.
Primary sources are often the gold standard for knowledge on a subject, assuming you can find something that qualifies. However, these are often hard to untangle as they can be dense, old, difficult to read or understand (and compared to an academic paper thatâs saying something!) assuming theyâre even in a language the reader understands.
There are a number of places to find good sources. A quick search engine check can do wonders, however they can be a whole mess, and even knowing what youâre looking for, they can make it harder to find good quality in the sheer volume.
Research search engines and open source libraries can make this process much easier. Google Scholar and JSTOR are good options, and if youâre really in a pinch you can look at Wikipedia. Many will tell you up and down that Wikipedia isnât a credible source, but while there is some truth to that, you can click the numbers on the information you want to see the sources at the bottom of a Wikipedia page. You can check these sources individually to see how you feel about them. Wikipedia also has a âTalkâ section where the contributors discuss what should be on each page that sometimes has additional sources or information that was not included.
How to Get a Library Card
Please go to your local library! Most likely the librarian will be able to help you. You can also check the website of your local library to see if you can sign up. Often libraries will either have books on the subjects that interest you, or may even be able to order them for their collection. Libraries have also started providing eBooks and other technological services. If this is an option for you, it is highly suggested!
University Library Access
Students at most universities are automatically enrolled into the universityâs library system. These people can careen around a paywall like itâs a sliding glass door between you and your dreams, and they have the keycard. Find them, ask them, it only takes like 2 minutes of their time to download and send you whatever file you canât get, especially if you link it directly.
Non-Academic Sources If youâre at your wits end and the only options for sources are news articles, blogs, or websites this isnât necessarily a bad thing. If this is a personal account of someoneâs experience this can be a good thing! Take extra care with these and see if you canât find multiple sources saying the same thing. If something is true, most likely youâre going to find multiple people saying the same thing in different ways. However, if you do find multiple sources, look to make sure they arenât just citing or copying one another in a hellish circle of plagiarism.
