What are good sources to cite?
Importance of using good sources
Using proper sources build audience trust in a reader. They allow readers to verify what an author has to say and delve more deeply into the topic with ease. Incorrectly cited or untrustworthy sources cause readers to question the validity of your claims.
Sources to Avoid[1]
The hallmarks of a bad site are unreliable authors with unverifiable credentials. Their content is often driven by the average internet user and cannot be trusted. Some examples of such pages are Blogs, Personal Websites, and Wikipedia.
Peer-Reviewed
A peer-reviewed article is one that is "read by subject experts ("peers" of the author) before they are published in a journal."[2]
Many library databases allow you to filter search results to include only peer reviewed articles. Most Academic Journals are peer-reviewed, but to be certain you can "examine the Instructions to Authors page that most journals provide to assess if the submission process involves reviewers or referees."[3]
Scholarly Articles
Sometimes it can be difficult to determine when a source is "scholarly" but there are a few steps to take that can help determine a cite's academic worth.
How to Identify a Scholarly Source[4]
- It is published by a Scholarly Association or society, or a university, or recognized scholarly publisher?
- Are articles reviewed in some way?
- Are the articles written for an academic audience or a popular audience?
- Are the citations clear and abundant?
- It is published by a university press or other academic publisher?
- Is it a text book? If it is written for classroom use, it is not a scholastic source. It is intended as a learning tool, but the textbook references can help you find other sources.