Incorporating Sources
Incorporating different sources is important to the credibility of your writing. It's important to use others' sources in your writing to prove your argument and to validate your ideas. However, without properly giving credit to those whose ideas you've borrowed, it is possible to be accused of plagiarism.
Where to find credible sources:
Researching for credible sources can sometimes be a challenge. How do you know if the information you've found is trustworthy? How can you be sure it's accurate? These are a few tips to keep in mind when searching for information:
- Academic Journal Articles
- Books
- Enclyclopedias
- Websites
- ".com" sites can be created by any individual who wants to talk about a particular subject. There is no guarantee that the information is reliable or factual which means you should rarely cite them in your paper.
- ".org" or ".edu" sites are more reliable because they are usually sponsored by an organization, a corporation, or a university. The information on these sites can be trusted more because of the credibility of the sponsor behind it.
Articles are a good source of information. They offer researched opinions by learned individuals who are usually specialists in a certain area or feild. It's a great idea to include an academic journal in order to support or directly oppose your argument.
Books are another great source. Including a book is a great way to share another's information that is directed to a specific topic. Books are credible because the author has usually put much effort, research, and knowledge into publishing it. A book can also be used to support the claim of your paper, or to show an opposing view.
Encycolpedias are never a good source to use. Because they are constantly being updated and aren't always reliable, since there are many authors in an enclyclopedia, they should be used as points of reference to begin research but rarely or never cited in an academic paper.
Websites are a tricky area. It basically depends on how reliable the website is. A general rule to keep in mind is you should usually stay away from ".com" sites and more likely use ".org" or ".edu" sites.
Citing your Works
In order to give credit to the sources you use in your paper, it's important to use a consistent form to let the reader know where you found your information. The two most popular forms are MLA and APA.
