It’s okay to admit that you’ve hopped on Wikipedia for the answer to a question, no matter how much your professors might have shamed you for the mere thought. We’ve all turned to Wikipedia as a source once or twice because it’s quick and easy (and sometimes so well organized).
But Wikipedia is the last research source you want to use when researching. Instead, you want to find credible sources that can be credited and referenced without shame or judgment. You want to be 100% sure that the sources you’re quoting can be trusted to have the highest standards of information.
Why is Wikipedia Not Considered a Credible Source?
Although the information on Wikipedia can be accurate, it’s not guaranteed to be. This is because Wikipedia is a user-generated source that anyone can edit at any time. Anyone can hop onto Wikipedia and upload or edit anything they want.
For instance, a well-established professor of history could go onto Wikipedia and upload a page detailing specific and proven information about World War II. Then, Joe Schmoe from Nowhereville, USA, could log on and change that information to something unproven and incorrect. Or that same person could create a whole page of false information.
Types of Sources
There are three main categories of sources. The multiple different types of sources fall into these categories. Although primary sources are considered the most credible, you’ll often combine the three categories.
Primary Sources
These are the most concrete forms of evidence that give the most credible reference point to your topic. It can include:
- Photos
- Interviews / Audio Excerpts
- Diary Notes / Letters
- Statistical / Empirical results
- Magazines / Newspapers
Secondary Sources
Secondary sources use primary sources as a source. They analyze, describe, or evaluate primary sources. They can include:
- Blog post entries
- Textbook Notes
- Articles from Journal
- Documentaries
- Books
Tertiary Sources
The third kind of source identifies, indexes, or consolidates the first two kinds of sources. It can include:
- Bibliographies
- Notes from an Almanac
- Notes from an Index
- Notes from a Dictionary
- Encyclopedias
How to Identify a Credible Source – CRAAP Test
When looking at a source to figure out if it’s credible, there’s a fun acronym you can use to judge it. WHEN APPLIED TO THE INFORMATION YOU’RE READING, the CRAAP test (also called the TRAAP test) can help you figure out if a source can be trusted or if it’s… well, you know.
C- Currency
(If you’re going by the TRAAP test, this criterion is referred to as Timeframe)
This criterion asks if the source is up-to-date. If the information is outdated, it may have been proven incorrect. After all, we used to think that bleeding people would balance their humor, doctors didn’t need to wash their hands, and women’s bodies physically couldn’t handle the speed of riding in a train; all things that we now know are incorrect.
Questions you can ask to see if a source is current include:
- When was the information published or posted?
- Has the information been revised or updated?
- Do the links still work?
R- Relevance
Does the source have some kind of relevance to your topic? Although the best kinds of research pull from a wide variety of sources, they still need to have some relevance to your case. If you’re talking about the correct way to suture a wound, a blog from a chef about proper meat sectioning methods probably won’t be relevant.
To determine relevance, you can ask:
- Does the information relate to your topic?
- Who is the intended audience?
- Is the information at an appropriate level? Not too advanced but not too simple?
- Is this source the most relevant out of the ones you’ve examined?
- Does it seem credible?
A- Authority
This criterion speaks directly to credibility. Just like you would take a drunken rant from your Uncle Randy with a grain of salt, some sources don’t have the authority to talk on a subject (but talk anyway). The authority of a source is a huge consideration for credibility because it shows whether it can be trusted.
Questions to determine if a source has authority include:
- Who created (wrote, published, sponsored, or released) this information?
- Is there information about the creator’s credentials or organizational affiliations?
- Is the writer considered an expert on the subject, and what are their qualifications?
- Is there contact information like a publisher or email address?
A- Accuracy
Accuracy determines if a source is backed up by evidence and other supports. A claim is unbalanced and wobbly if it stands by itself. This criterion shows that the reference isn’t outstanding in a field, proclaiming things no one else thinks.
You can properly verify a source’s accuracy by asking:
- Where does the information come from?
- Is there evidence to support this?
- Has it been reviewed or refereed?
- Can another source (or personal knowledge) verify this information?
P- Purpose
The final check for the credibility of a source is the reason it exists in the first place. Why did the creator create it? No one does anything for no reason (even if the reason is simply entertainment or spreading information), and the reason people do something says a lot about the published information.
Questions you can ask to determine the purpose include:
- What is the purpose of the information? Is it meant to:
- Inform
- Teach
- Sell
- Entertain
- Persuade
- Does the writer make their intention and purpose clear?
- Is the information fact that can be supported by evidence? Is it opinion? Is it propaganda?
- Is the point of view impartial and objective?
- Are there biases in the piece? Biases can include:
- Personal
- Religious
- Institutional
- Ideological
- Political
- Cultural
Where to Find Credible Sources
There are a few places you can usually trust to have credible information. Using the CRAAP test can still be useful to ensure you’re referring to good information, but these kinds of sources can usually pass that test with flying colors.
Credible sources can include:
- Encyclopedias
- Textbooks
- Websites with .edu or .org domains
- News sources with first-hand reporting
- Research-oriented magazines like ScienceMag or Nature Weekly
- Academic journals