Best Tips To Find Credible Sources For Assignments

We all know that whenever you are researching something for your school paper topic, it is very important to assure that you are collecting data from credible sources for your paper. You will see that there is a lot of information which is available online that can be very overwhelming at the beginning. However, you will find that most of them are either fake or have no proof. 

In this blog, you will learn how to recognize the proper sources effectively and quickly, but you need to know about credible sources before that.

What is a credible source?

Let’s start from the beginning. First of all, you need to understand what exactly makes a source, and the answer is very simple.

According to top assignment help experts – “a source of something or someplace where you can find the information that can back up your research paper or thesis question.”

For example, you are writing a paper where you have to answer a topic question such as “What are the types of AI?” And your instructor once to find you five credible sources that can prove your answer to the question. At this point, what you will do is go to the internet and start an online search for your answer.

Steps to find traditional sources

One of the most important methods to find authoritative sources is to find out the website URL. If the URL ends with .edu or .com, then you can be sure that it’s an authoritative website.

1. Credentials and content

If you are writing about any book or any research paper, you must make sure to look at the author or publisher’s credentials. You can look for the following questions:

• Is the author of this paper an expert in the field?
• Did the author publish the paper in a well-known publisher’s house?

Next, you can look for the content and search for the following questions:

• Is the paper unbiased? 
• Has the paper been peer-reviewed

Some additional ways to evaluate credible sources

Did you add a Bibliography or reference list to your paper? If yes, then it will allow you to evaluate the source from where you have taken the information. Find those sources on the internet and check whether they are legitimate, recent and credible or not.

These are some examples of lists where you can find the credibility of your sources for research:

• Scholarly databases 
• University Library
• Authoritative sources such as peer-reviewed journal article

One more thing you need to check is the date of the source. If you find that it is over 6 years old, you need to find similar data from any reason, findings or research. If you need assignment writing service then you should contact our experts.

2. Factcheck by ABCD

Evaluating any website or news article for its credibility is very tricky. Even the experts sometimes get confused about whether the article on the website states the truth. Here comes the ABCD framework, which has been adapted from the library of UNC Greensboro. With the help of this Framework, you can easily get the information and credibility of sources by asking a few basic questions

1. Authority: What are the Expertise and qualifications of the author? How is the author related to the topic?
2. Bias: Is the paper which is written taking one side of the contestants or deciding after evaluating multiple sides? Is the source of reporting based on data or public opinion? Whether the article has the purpose of informing or persuading?
3. Currency: When did the author write the article? Do the references take to match the article’s Publication date?
4. Documentation:Does the paper contain a backup of the author’s argument or any links which can clean the references? Did the author provide any evidence for their opinion? If you need assessment help then you should hire our writers.

3. Fact-checking resources

1. Snopes:Snopes is one of the first fact-checking websites. It is well known for debunking myths, and now it has become a popular tool for extracting rumours, reporting wrong information and validating various claims.

2. Media Bias:It is a comprehensive website which can review and rate more than 2500 media sources on the basis of zero to one rank of biases, starting from least bias to Extreme bias.

3. Politick:Quality fact is a website which is known for affecting websites that particularly determine the accuracy of the statement and arguments of politician

4. org: Factcheck.org is another website which is a non-profitable and nonpartisan organization which does fact-checking.

4. Researching your resources

Even if you’re only looking for five credible sources, you won’t locate them all the first time. Research is a time-consuming and labour-intensive activity. As a result, you’ll need to assess and improve your search several times before you have good authoritative sources to support your thesis.

As you narrow down your search results, refine your terms. Look for the following sources:

• Books 
• Journal articles 
• Magazine and newspaper articles

You must note that:

Do not simply Google the topic and select the top results; however, Google Scholar is a decent place to start.

Although reference books are secondary sources, they are a good place to look for reputable primary sources.

5. Credibility of your paper 

As you execute your research, assess the credibility of your sources. Using only reputable sources in an MLA citation, APA format, or Chicago-style format document increases the credibility of your paper. Also, keep track of the source of data in a tentative bibliography as you proceed. When you’re finished with your paper, you’ll be able to produce your works quickly cited, reference list, or bibliography.

List of a few credible sources

1. Government Entities

As they are highly regulated, these websites are generally trustworthy. Examples include the CIA World Fact Book and the United States Justice Statistics.

2. Think Tanks for Research

Rand Corporation, The Milken Institute, and Pew Research Centre are examples of trustworthy research think tanks.

3. Academic Libraries and Databases

ProQuest, Jstor and Scopus are wonderful examples of academic libraries and databases that may be trusted.

4. Organizations for Professional Standards

When it comes to professional standards, the American Psychological Association (APA) and the American Bar Association are both extremely respected sources.

How to write a research paper?

Now that you have become an expert in finding critical sources for your research, you are ready to draft your research paper. But don’t know how to start writing? Do not worry. We are here to cover for you.

• Have a clear knowledge about the requirements.
• Brainstorming the topic for the research.
• Create a format and plan out the objective of the research paper.
• Draft your paper including facts and figures.

Summary:

Now that you know that every assignment needs to be cited and those sources must have credibility, you are ready to write down a high-quality and fact-driven research paper that will surely impress your professor and University heads.

Author bio

Lucinda Parker is a lecturer at the University of Orlando. She has done a master’s in English and has been teaching students for 8+ years. Currently, she is working at MyAssignmenthelp.com, which is the best assignment writing service for students in need.