Q. I need help identifying between credible and non-credible sources

Thank you for reaching out. I can certainly help with identifying credible sources of information. This video is a quick breakdown of source evaluation, but I'll go into more detail here (I'll add other useful videos at the bottom). Whenever you are looking for research sources for an assignment, there are a few things to consider first:

1. What is the assignment asking for? Does it specific which types of resources you're allowed to use? (Example: If it says you must use library resources, then you know you won't be able to use open internet resources and should search on the library. Otherwise, you may be able to use some website sources) 
2. What type of research are you doing? Are you writing an argumentative paper where you may need to look up sources that represent several different viewpoints about a topic? Are you writing something purely informative where you just need information about your specific topic? 
3. How much do you know about your topic? If you don't know much or need to explain basic concepts and/or history, you may need to start with some background research that explores that basic information. You can find this in encyclopedias, books, and text books. 

Evaluating Source Credibility

Alright, on to the meat of this topic. How do you tell a credible source from a non-credible source? A lot of this is decided by your best judgement based on what you need (based on those things I mentioned above) and some basic practices that we can talk about here! 

First! Type of resource. Any type of resource can be credible. Books, articles, websites, and even videos. Unless your assignment specifically says what to use (or not use), it's more about the content and author than it is the form it takes. That being said, when it comes to websites, you often want to avoid websites whose URLs end in .com, .biz, etc. Websites that end in .edu or .gov are more likely to be 'authoritative'. 

Some quick things to look for to avoid reading CRAP:

• Currency: You want resources that are current - things that were published in a timeframe that is appropriate for your research. If you're researching a historical topic then older resources can sometimes be fine. If it's something more recent or which changes over time, you want resources that are more recent; perhaps published within the last five years!
• Reliability: Just like you have to cite your sources in your writing, you want your sources to do the same! When reading an article, can you tell where the author's information came from? If it's just opinion, then it may not be very valuable. Did they cite their sources? If they refer to a study or a poll, can you access and see the results of that study elsewhere? 
• Authority: This is a big one! Who is the author? What credentials do they have? Do you have any reason to trust what this person is saying? If they have a doctoral degree and/or professional experience in the area that they are writing about, that is a good sign! Even better is finding information from such a professional that is published in an academic journal. These are often peer-reviewed, which means that other professionals in that area have reviewed it before publication! 
  • This is the issue with news articles. While they can still be valuable, especially if just reporting on current events, a journalist is often not an expert on what they are talking about and so you should consider that when using information from one. 
• Purpose: You want to avoid sources that are biased. Sometimes authors write things that try to persuade you to buy something or to agree with them. You want sources that will just present you with the facts. If you do use a source that is biased, that can be okay so long as you recognize that it is biased and thus, may not be telling you the whole truth. 
  • How do you identify a biased source? Does the source have ads on it? Then it may be focused more on trying to sell you something or get your 'clicks', rather than conveying real information. Of course, this doesn't mean the source isn't useful, but you should be aware of it. Other signs of bias can include an author or research that is paid for or run by a company associated with the topic (Example: Coca cola paying someone to do a study about the best tasting soda), or even just an article that seems to ignore opposing viewpoints and only addresses their own side of things. 

It's important to note that none of these things mean that you cannot use a certain type of resource (unless your assignment specifically says not to). But you must use your judgement to identify and 'evaluate' quality sources. However, if your assignment says to literally 'use academic journal articles', then you can search the library for those and this video can help you get started using the library search. 

What is an Academic Article? (Video)

Identifying Fake News (Video)