2. What types of evidence should
be used to support your paper?
3. There are two types of evidence
First hand Research
Research you have
conducted yourself.
Would include:
Interviews
Experiments
Surveys
Personal Experience
Anecdotes
Secondhand Research
Research you are
compiling from
various texts.
Includes:
Books
Periodicals
Web sites
4. Regardless of the source, the
evidence must be credible!
In other words, sources should
be reliable, accurate, and
trustworthy.
5. To determine if a source is
credible ask yourself the
following questions:
6. Who is the author?
Credible sources are written by respected
authors in their fields of study.
Responsible, credible authors cite sources so
that the reader can check the accuracy of and
support what they’ve written.
Citations are a good way to find more sources in
your research.
7. How recent is the source?
Seeking recent sources is relative to your
topic.
Source on historical events may be decades
old but can still provide accurate information.
Topics such as technologies or fields
undergoing rapid changes should be much
more current.
8. What is the author’s purpose?
Take the author’s purpose or point of view in
to consideration.
Is the author being objective, neutral, or
persuasive?
Who is funding the research?
A source with a specific point of view may still
be credible but be aware that your sources
don’t limit you research to one side of a
debate.
9. What type of sources does your
audience value?
When writing for a professional or academic
audience peer-reviewed journals may be seen
as the most credible source.
When writing for peers in your hometown your
audience may be more comfortable with
mainstream sources such as Tim e or
N ws we e k.
e
When writing for a younger audience sources
found on the internet may be more accepted.
10. Be especially careful when
evaluating Internet sources!
Never use websites where an author can not
be determined unless associated with a
reputable institution such as a university,
credible media outlet, government program or
department, or a well know non-government
organization.
Beware of Internet sources such as Wikip e d ia
because any user can add or change content
with out verification.
