Credibility :

Credibility is defined as "the quality or power of inspiring belief". Credible sources, therefore,
must be reliable sources that provide information that one can believe to be true.

It is important to use credible sources in an academic research paper because your audience will
expect you to have backed up your assertions with credible evidence. Think of it this way: if you
went to the doctor to get advice on a symptom you were having, and your doctor told you his
diagnosis was based on something he heard a random stranger say on his way to work, would
you be inclined to trust what he told you your symptom meant? Probably not. But, if your
doctor told you his diagnosis came from an article he read in the peer-reviewed, highly
prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association, you would be more likely to believe his
diagnosis was correct. Why? The reason is that you may have heard of the journal your doctor
referred to, or you may know that the AMA is a highly respected organization in the field of
medicine, ergo, they know that their information is credible and reliable. The same situation
holds true if you are writing a research paper. Your audience is going to expect you to use the
best, most correct, most recent, and most reliable information possible so that they can trust in
your expertise. Using evidence that does not come from a credible source of information will
not convince your reader that your claim is plausible or even correct.

Evaluating Credibility of Sources

Timeliness
Your resources need to be recent enough for your topic. If your paper is on a topic like cancer
research, you would want the most recent information, but a topic such as World War II could
use information written in a broader time range.

Authority
Does the information come from an author or organization that has authority to speak on your
topic? Has the information been peer-reviewed? (You can use Ulrichsweb to determine if a
journal is peer-reviewed). Do they cite their credentials? Be sure there is sufficient
documentation to help you determine whether the publication is reliable including footnotes,
bibliographies, credits, or quotations.

Audience
Who are the intended readers and what is the publication's purpose? There is a difference
between a magazine written for the general public and a journal written for professors and
experts in the field.

Relevance
Does this article relate to your topic? What connection can be made between the information
that is presented and your thesis? An easy way to check for relevance is by reviewing the
Abstract or Summary of the article before downloading the entire article.
Perspective
Biased sources can be helpful in creating and developing an argument, but make sure you find
sources to help you understand the other side as well. Extremely biased sources will often
misrepresent information and that can be ineffective to use in your paper.