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Research Tips

This guide contains information to help you get started on your academic research.

Types of Sources

Characteristics of academic/scholarly sources:

  • Can cover very specific topics or narrow fields of research; can provide comprehensive, thorough examination of a subject
  • Authors are scholars/research with academic credentials
  • Written for scholars, researchers, and experts in the field
  • Use scholarly or technical language
  • Information is cited and the sources referenced are often also scholarly
  • Are reviewed by scholars in the same field (peer-reviewed/refereed), are distributed by academic publishers, or come from research institutes

Types of academic/scholarly sources can vary but are typically:

  • Academic journals 
  • Academic Books
  • Research reports
  • Theses and dissertations, etc.
IS IT AN ACADEMIC SOURCE?

You are analyzing the Korean Wave for a communication paper. You find this article on the Air University website. Is this an academic source?

You are analyzing the Korean Wave for a communication paper. You find this article on The Friday Times website. Is this an academic source?

Characteristics of Grey Literature:

  • Disseminate research quickly or respond to a public issue
  • Are typically written by scholars, government agencies, non-profit organizations and institutions, businesses, and think tanks
  • Are written for professionals and researchers in the same field or industry and/or policy makers
  • Use specialized language or jargon in the field or industry
  • Expert review differs; many may not be reviewed at all
  • Sources are typically, but not always, cited

Types of Grey Literature:

  • Blogs
  • Clinical trials
  • Company Information
  • Conference papers/proceedings
  • Datasets
  • Dissertations and theses
  • Government documents and reports
  • Market reports
  • Newsletters
  • Pamphlets
  • Policy statements
  • Statistical Reports
  • Survey results
  • Working papers; etc.

Characteristics of Popular Sources

  • Can cover a wide array of issues of interest and are more informal in tone and scope
  • Are written by journalists or professional writers
  • Written for general audiences
  • Use easy to understand language and don't assume readers have prior knowledge of a subject area - are helpful if you don't know a lot about your subject area yet
  • Rarely cite their sources - are typically fact-checked through the editorial process of the publication they appear in

Types of Popular Sources:

  • News (The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, etc).
  • Magazines (National Geographic, Popular Science, Psychology Today, History.com, etc.)
Primary Sources Secondary Sources
Primary sources are immediate, first-hand accounts of a topic, event, or time in history - they can also include raw data or original research. Secondary sources interpret and analyze primary sources and other secondary sources and may cover the same topic with added insight.

Examples of Primary Sources

  • Datasets or survey data
  • Newspaper and magazine articles written by reporters who witnessed an event or who quote people who did
  • Official reports (government publications, police records, etc.)
  • Original research
  • Photographs, video, or audio that capture an event
  • Speeches, diaries, letters, and interviews
  • Texts of laws and other original documents

Examples of Secondary Sources

  • Journal articles that summarize the results of other researcher's experiments and/or discuss the significance of published research or experiments
  • Most scholarly books
  • Newspaper articles, magazine articles, and webpages authored by people who had nothing to do with the original research/event.
  • Reference books (encyclopedias, bibliographies, etc.)
  • Textbooks

Characteristics of Popular/Trade Magazines or Journals:

  • Communicate industry insight, news and trends in a particular field
  • Are typically written by practitioners in a field
  • Are written for practitioners in the field
  • Use the language (and jargon) of the field
  • Research findings are not usually found here, but may report that a scholarly publication is forthcoming
  • Are not intended to be scholarly and usually contain advertising targeted to the field in some way

Examples of Popular/Trade Magazines or Journals:

  • Education Week
  • Advertising Age
  • Automotive News
  • Teaching Pre-K-8

Evaluating Sources

The CRAP Test, developed by Molly Beestrum, is an evaluation tool that can be used when trying to decide if a website is a credible, valid source. The CRAP Test looks at four major areas to evaluate whether a website is credible or not: Currency, Reliability, Authority, and Purpose.

Currency
  • When was the source originally written or created?
  • How recently has the source been updated?
  • Is the information current enough for your topic?
Reliability
  • Is the information supported by evidence? 
  • Is the information cited or is there a list of sources used?
  • Can you verify the information through other sources?
Authority
  • Can you identify the creator or author? What are their credentials?
  • Who is the publisher or sponsor? Are they reputable? What is in their "About Us" page?
  • Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source?
Purpose/Point of View
  • What is the purpose of the information? Is it to inform, teach, sell, entertain, or persuade?
  • Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
  • Is the information fact, opinion, or propaganda?
The CRAP Test for Evaluating Websites
What is Lateral Reading?

Lateral reading is an evaluation strategy for verifying information online. You take the name of the website (or article, or book, etc.) you have, and search it online to see more information from others. The act of lateral reading is the process of verifying what you're reading while you're reading it. This approach helps you gain a deeper understanding of a topic and assess whether to trust the content as presented.

Sort Fact from Fiction Online with Lateral Reading
The SIFT Method

As a way to help lateral reading evaluation, Mike Caulfield at Washington State University created a method called SIFT. It stands for

  • Stop: Evaluate the source that you have found.
    • Do you know the website or source of the information, and what the reputation of both the claim and the website is?
  • Investigate the Source: Know what you are reading before you read it.
    • Do you know the expertise and agenda of the source?
  • Find Better Coverage: Look for other trusted sources who are reporting on the same information
    • Do these sources agree with your original source or do they have different information?
  • Trace Claims, Quotes, and Media back to the original context: Locate where the information came from and view it in it's original context 
    • What is the original context for the information provided? Is it accurately represented in your original source?
News Bias

The AllSides Media Bias Chart™ makes bias transparent so you can get the full picture, avoid manipulation and misinformation, and think for yourself. The bias chart is based on over 2,400 AllSides Media Bias Ratings that inform our balanced newsfeed and are powered by people like you. They rate bias by balancing input from thousands of everyday Americans across the political spectrum and a politically balanced panel of experts. Everyone is biased, but hidden bias misleads and divides us. AllSides makes bias transparent so you can easily identify and consume different perspectives.

 

News Reporting vs. Opinion vs. Advertisement

Using the S.W.I.F.T. Method to Evaluate Media

Stop: Before you share a post or a tweet... stop! Ask yourself whether you know and trust the source (author, publisher, publication, or website) of the information . If you don't, use the other steps below to figure out if the source and/or claim/headline/report is trustworthy and factual. Don't read it or share it until you know what it is!

Investigate the Source: Look up information about the source's or author's reputation. Does this person or organization seem to be an expert in the field, a legitimate organization or a reputable media outlet? What does Wikipedia say about this organization or publication? Most major organizations and publications have a Wikipedia page. Wikipedia can often tell you what is the purpose of the organization and any political slant it may have that might color the information it disseminates - double check the sources provided in the Wikipedia page itself.

Find Better Coverage: If you are unable to determine whether a source is reliable or not, take a deeper look at the claim that source is making. Can you find similar coverage of the topic elsewhere? Use google to see if there are other more trusted sources (newspapers, reputable organizations, experts) that corroborate the information. If a story is true, there should be many other high quality, trusted sources covering it.

Trace Claims, Quotes, and Media to the Original Context: Trace the claim/quote/media back to the source so you can see it in its original context and get a sense of whether the version you saw was accurately presented. Check the date. With fast-moving stories such as the Covid-19 pandemic, information changes daily. Click through to the original source post. Does the original story substantiate the claim in the post? Keep in mind that the framing of a story can be deceptive. Click through to the original source post and check. Find the original image. Do a reverse image search on Tineye or Google Images. There may be original context with the image or a more complete version of the image may be available.