Ask any Ph.D. graduate how hard it is to find a credible source for their research, and they will tell you the pain they go through. No matter the academic level, finding a trustworthy source to get information is extremely difficult. The internet is full of various web pages, and most of them are irrelevant. So, I don’t get shocked to see so many students looking for instant assignment help.
Finding facts won’t be a challenge, but finding enough evidence to back those facts is incredibly challenging. So, here I list down eight ways to understand which sources you can shortlist as trusted ones for your research –
1. Be sceptical
Do not believe everything you see. The internet is full of wrong information. People can easily edit information on Wikipedia, and relying on a single source for information is never a wise decision. Question everything you see. Cross-check the facts from multiple books, websites, and articles before coming to a judgment. It may seem like overdoing it at times, but being sceptical will help you distinguish between a trusted and untrusted source.
2. Check the credentials of the author
Do detailed research on the background of any author you are planning to cite. Simultaneously also check the authenticity of the sources from where you are copying the contents. Look for the credentials of the author and their past work experiences. If you are writing Ph.D. content, you certainly want the writer to be another PhD-qualified expert or a professor. Similarly, you cannot blindly trust someone without enough experience in relevant fields.
Check if the writers you are shortlisting are associated with any other biased source of funding. If they are funded by a specific group or belong to another interest group, the content can be biased, which isn’t ideal for research papers.
3. Evaluate the sources the main writers cited
Researching is about delving into depth to discover the truth about a topic. So, it is unwise to believe everything you are copying. Before etching even a single word, check the credibility of the main sources. Unless the author has analysed the data themselves, there is no guarantee that the source is authentic. Check the bibliography of the main post to scrutinise them to ensure you are getting authentic information only.
4. Ensure the site is up-to-date
In the digital era, nothing lasts forever. The world is moving at super speed with technological advancements, so the information keeps changing. So, you can find many websites going obsolete within a few months. So before deciding on the authenticity of the content, check if the website is still relevant. Also, check if only trustworthy writers have written the source content. If you need psychology dissertation help then you should contact our dissertation writers.
5. Check the reviews and endorsements of the source
What do you do when you want to buy a product online? You check the reviews left by past users and understand the pros and cons of the product. Even when you try to buy something offline, you search for reviews and ask for suggestions from trustworthy people.
So, you should do the same before copying content from a website. There are many websites that review other websites. Check for reviews on such websites. Usually, these reviews are left by students who have used them in the recent past. So you get a fair idea about what to expect from the website.
If you are sourcing from a book, check the websites to know the review of the books. There are many third-party websites where you can search for the reviews of multiple books at once. If you are citing from small blogs or journals, you may not find readymade reviews for those. In such cases, you can research the authors. Check their affiliations and endorsements and if they are authoritative figures in their respective fields.
6. Check the reputation of the publisher
Famous publishing houses and magazines always check the information they are publishing thoroughly. So, as a researcher, you can be sure that those facts are safe to use. This is also true if the sources come from reputed scholarly databases or peer-reviewed journals.
You can also investigate the source types the author is planning to use. This is also a trusted source evaluation method. Moreover, you can also use reputed journals and articles to add more authenticity than any personal blog. The reason behind this is journals and articles are written by academicians. They have a rich academic background and high credentials. Any leading journals and articles are also peer-reviewed. So, it is a much more reliable source than any personal blog, which doesn’t go through any scrutiny before getting published.
However, avoid citing any public opinions even if they are published. They don’t have the same standard as academic writing and often are biased in nature. In the last few years, fake news often spread like wildfire, and even leading media houses have fallen prey to such news. So avoiding public opinions seems like a smart choice while researching for papers.
7. Check for vagueness in the source
A good research paper is all about mentioning specific details and ultimately supporting or rejecting a claim with enough evidence. So, beware of any source that uses vague terms to support their claims. Many websites used terminologies like “some people believe “recent studies showed” without any facts or citations.
The websites only aim for one thing, which is to increase their readership. So, they often scam the readers by including vague content instead of peer-reviewed scholarly articles. Many websites deliberately use misleading headlines to draw your attention. So, read thoroughly before citing any information, as it can be something totally irrelevant from a non-trusted source.
8. Beware of biased content
As a researcher, your aim will be to show both sides of the coin to the readers and analyse them to prove your point. However, if you make the mistake of taking information from biased sources, your research objective will be diluted. It can still be credible, but you won’t be able to portray opposing thoughts on a topic.
Summing Up:
Being alert and aware of the content you are using is the only way you can be assured of using a credible source. Follow these eight points, and you should be able to identify a genuine source easily while writing your research papers.
Author Bio:
Nathan Edwards has been offering assignment writing services to university students for the last six years. He is a retired professor and a leading assignment writer for MyAssignmenthelp.com.
