How to Make Sense of Your Sources
Once you find sources online, you will need to verify the source which means making sure your source is legitimate and credible.
Credible sources:
- are written by people who are authorities or experts on that topic (Authority)
- write to tell you about the topic, not to convince you or sell you something (Purpose)
- use evidence or other credible sources to support what they say (Evidence)
- use updated sources and words that are current and related to our topic (Currency)
- say similar things to other credible sources unless it is original research (Accuracy)
For example, I found the article below in the Credo database at the library. I want to make sure it is credible. I will:
- check that the author knows a lot or is an expert on elephants
- is writing to share information using evidence and other credible sources
- says similar things to other sources on elephants