Hi everyone!
Before you use sources, you need to understand what kind of sources there are and how to tell if they are credible and therefore useful for your work.
Credibility
Determining whether a source is credible or not can take some time to learn and understand. Watch the Credible Sources video (there's a linked quiz if you want to test your skills) and review the CRAAP test as your first steps in the credibility game.
Scholarly/Popular/Trade
These are the three main types of sources that you are likely to encounter when searching for information. The chart outlines the main differences between the three types. A lot of our databases contain all three of these types, so it's important to have an idea of the differences.
From research to news
Read a bit about how information passes from research articles to popular news.
If you need further help with any of these concepts, please contact me at kschmidt@wcu.edu!
The CRAAP Test is a tool you can use to evaluate potential sources. This is a good practice to get into whether you plan to use to source for your own personal edification or in a course assignment, and it is especially important to do with any content you find on the open web.
Scholarly | Trade | Popular |
---|---|---|
Present original research studies Book reviews of academic/scholarly books |
Present practical information Includes professional news, trends, and updates |
Written to inform, entertain, persuade Includes general news, sports, leisure reading, etc. |
Long articles Technical language; professional jargon is present Assume reader is expert/familiar with field Written for other professionals or researchers |
Brief articles Straightforward language; professional jargon present Assume reader is professional in the field Written for professionals |
Can be brief or long Straightforward language; little to no jargon Assume the reader is a member of the general public Written for general public |
Always cites sources in text Has a bibliography/reference list |
Sometimes cites sources in text Sometimes has a bibliography/reference list |
Rarely cites sources in text Rarely has a bibliography/reference list |
Written by experts or researchers in the field Will list credentials or organizational affiliation of author |
Written by professionals in the field May list credentials or organizational affiliation |
Written by journalists or similar types of writers Generally expertise or credentials are not listed. Some authors may not be named. |
Peer review (checked by other experts) before publishing | Editorial staff review before publishing | Editorial staff review before publishing |
You may be curious about how research becomes NEWS that makes it to newspapers, news websites, and other social media outlets, then part of our general collective knowledge. While the process can vary, often research that is interesting or potentially exciting is reported initially as a press release from the researchers' institutions or perhaps reported in a trade publication (and goes onto the popular press from there). Once it reaches the general population, the understanding of the research findings often change and morph; the research and researchers may not be accurately quoted or interpreted. To read more about how this works, take a look at the two different pieces below. The first is a Science News piece about how they practice science journalism – often a first step of researching making it into the mainstream news. The second is a Vox article pertaining to often premature reporting of scientific findings and why that reporting is problematic.