What Sources Should Be Avoided When Researching?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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  • out-of-date materials (published over 10 years ago);
  • posts from social networks (i.e. facebook);
  • blogs;
  • research articles without citations;
  • websites ending in .com, . org, . net etc.

What kind of sources should we avoid in research?

  • Wikipedia. Okay, so here’s the deal. ...
  • YouTube. YouTube is used all the time by teachers. ...
  • Google Books. ...
  • Essay Sharing Websites. ...
  • Famous Quotes from the Web. ...
  • Your Teacher. ...
  • Information Blogs that Pose as Authoritative Websites.

What are 5 unreliable sources?

  • Book.
  • Newspapers and magazines.
  • Peer reviewed journals.
  • Peer reviewed articles.
  • PhD or MBA dissertations and research.
  • Public library.
  • Scholarly articles.

What sources are bad?

  • Authors are unnamed or lack credentials.
  • Headline seems hard to believe or sensational.
  • Shared on social media, but not found on traditional news sites.
  • Poor spelling or grammar.
  • Marked as “Sponsored Content” or “Advertisement”
  • Sources are missing or vaguely described.

What makes a source unreliable?

In unreliable sources, bias and offensive language can be seen because they are usually not written for the purpose of informing. If the source only evokes emotion in the reader (such as anger), it’s likely an unreliable source.

What should you not do in a research paper?

  • Do not misrepresent yourself. ...
  • Don’t include anything that doesn’t answer the questions. ...
  • Don’t lengthen your paper unnecessarily. ...
  • Don’t reveal incomplete or absurd reasons for doing the research.
  • Don’t exceed the recommended word limits. ...
  • Don’t make too many generalizations. ...
  • Don’t write in a vacuum.

What are the essential ways to avoid tricky sources?

  1. Understand Plagiarism. The first step to avoiding plagiarism is understanding just what plagiarism is in the first place. ...
  2. Cite Your Sources Properly. ...
  3. Paraphrase (and Cite!) ...
  4. Add Your Own Ideas. ...
  5. Start Your Reference Sheet Early. ...
  6. Use a Plagiarism Checker.

What are the 10 reliable sources?

  • Google Scholar. It’s the most popular and easy-to-use search engine that can present scholarly pieces of writing on any topic you require. ...
  • JSTOR. ...
  • Microsoft Academic. ...
  • SAGE Publishing. ...
  • Taylor and Francis Online. ...
  • ScienceDirect. ...
  • Academia. ...
  • Scopus.

What are 5 reliable sources?

  • materials published within last 10 years;
  • research articles written by respected and well-known authors;
  • websites registered by government and educational institutions (. gov, . edu, . ...
  • academic databases (i.e. Academic Search Premier or JSTOR);
  • materials from Google Scholar.

Which sources are reliable?

Types of Reliable Sources

Scholarly, peer-reviewed articles or books -written by researchers for students and researchers. Original research, extensive bibliography. Found in GALILEO’s academic databases and Google Scholar. Anatomy of a Scholarly Article.

What makes a source reliable and credible?

Generally, a credible or reliable source is one that experts in your subject domain would agree is valid for your purposes . ... Think about unreliable sources as pollutants to your credibility, if you include unreliable sources in your work, your work could lose credibility as a result.

What are some unreliable sources what makes them unreliable?

The following are unreliable sources because they require confirmation with a reliable source: Wikipedia : although this is a good starting point for finding initial ideas about a topic, some of their information and attached resources may not be reliable. Blogs, tweets. Personal websites.

Why Wikipedia is a bad source?

Wikipedia is not a reliable source for citations elsewhere on Wikipedia. Because, as a user-generated source, it can be edited by anyone at any time , any information it contains at a particular time could be vandalism, a work in progress, or just plain wrong.

How do you know if a source is credible or not?

  • Examine the source’s and author’s credentials and affiliations.
  • Evaluate what sources are cited by the author.
  • Make sure the source is up-to-date.
  • Check the endorsements and reviews that the source received.

How do you avoid mistakes in research?

  1. Don’t believe everything you see. or read.
  2. Always document WHERE you got. EVERY fact in your tree.
  3. Avoid making assumptions. If you have. ...
  4. Don’t rush backward in time. For some researchers. ...
  5. Don’t assume you are related to. Abraham Lincoln.

What are the do’s and dont’s of academic writing briefly discuss them providing examples of your own?

  • What is the point of an academic paper? ...
  • Avoid writing in an overly formal tone. ...
  • Avoid colloquialisms. ...
  • Don’t use exaggeration or hyperbole. ...
  • Avoid making generalizations. ...
  • Don’t use personal pronouns or invoke the reader.

Why should we be careful with our sources in writing?

Citing sources properly is essential to avoiding plagiarism in your writing. Not citing sources properly could imply that the ideas, information, and phrasing you are using are your own, when they actually originated with another author. Plagiarism doesn’t just mean copy and pasting another author’s words.

What are the most reliable sources for research?

Credible sources include peer-reviewed journals, government agencies, research think tanks, and professional organizations . Major newspapers and magazines also provide reliable information thanks to their high publishing standards. Reputable news sources require all content to be fact-checked before publication.

Which sources should I use?

  • Background or introductory information – dictionaries or encyclopedias as found in Gale eBooks.
  • General information – history or overview – try books from the library catalog.
  • News and current events – newspapers and current periodicals – try NewsBank or the New York Times.

How do you properly cite sources?

The first time you cite a source, it is almost always a good idea to mention its author(s), title, and genre (book, article, or web page, etc.). If the source is central to your work, you may want to introduce it in a separate sentence or two, summarizing its importance and main ideas.

What kind of sources are trustworthy when researching a topic ?( 1 point?

Primary sources are often considered the most credible in terms of providing evidence for your argument, as they give you direct evidence of what you are researching.

Is .NET a reliable source?

net can be purchased and used by any individual . However, the domain . edu is reserved for colleges and universities, while . ... These two are usually credible sources for information (though occasionally a university will assign a .

What is the most reliable source?

Academic journal articles are probably the most reliable source of current thinking in your field. To be the most reliable they need to be peer reviewed. This means that other academics have read them before publication and checked that they are making claims that are backed up by their evidence.

What is reliable and unreliable?

Someone unreliable can’t be trusted to do something. ... The word “ rely ” is a clue to what unreliable means. When you can rely on something, you can count in it — it’s reliable. On the other hand, you’d better not count on an unreliable person.

What are the disadvantages of Wikipedia?

  • Instructors might fail you for using it.
  • Content can be edited by anyone at any time for any reason.
  • Most of the information has not been verfied by experts and can’t be considered credible or reliable.
  • Like all web information, can be quickly outdated.

What’s the problem with Wikipedia?

There have been documented problems caused by open, anonymous gatherings of people on Wikipedia, such as the writing of vitriol (noted in 2003) or wiki-gangs (noted in July 2005). Another problem is that anyone can edit articles at any time , so people can vandalize articles, as long as they have an account.

What are the factors that need to be considered in checking website sources?

There are six (6) criteria that should be applied when evaluating any Web site: authority, accuracy, objectivity, currency, coverage, and appearance .

What makes a source ethical?

Ethical writing is writing with a level of inclusion, respect, and acknowledgement of diversity . The importance of ethical writing, then, is based not only upon the avoidance of plagiarism, but also avoiding the weaknesses of bias and exclusive language (sexist, racist, homophobic, etc.)

Is Google a reliable source?

“Google” should never be cited as a source . Rather, Google is a search engine designed to help find materials that are available on the internet. In general, Google should not be used to find academic sources, as most websites and documents are not of an academic nature.

What are the four main reasons you should cite your sources?

  • show proper and thorough research by listing sources used.
  • avoid plagiarism.
  • give readers information necessary to find the sources used.
  • give credit to other researchers, authors, etc.
Maria LaPaige
Author
Maria LaPaige
Maria is a parenting expert and mother of three. She has written several books on parenting and child development, and has been featured in various parenting magazines. Maria's practical approach to family life has helped many parents navigate the ups and downs of raising children.