What is a credible source?

When you’re writing a research paper or other academic essay, it’s essential that your evidence comes from credible sources. But, what is a credible source? In this blog post, we explore credible sources and discuss how to find and evaluate them.

What is a credible source?

You’ve heard your instructor say that you need to use credible sources for your paper—but what does it mean for a source to be credible?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines “credible” as something that is “accurate, trustworthy [and], reliable.” In the context of academic writing, a credible source is one that is peer-reviewed. This means that the information in the source has been evaluated by experts.

The content of a credible source is typically objective and unbiased. A credible source also features correct citations and a reference list or bibliography. A source can also be considered credible because the author has the proper training and expertise to publish on the topic.

In short, a source is likely credible if:

• the tone is objective and reasonable
• the author is an expert on the subject
• there are citations for borrowed material, as well as full bibliographic references
• you found it in an academic database

How do you find credible sources?

You can find credible sources by searching academic databases or your school’s library catalog. If you need help finding credible sources, consider scheduling a research consultation with a librarian or asking your instructor for assistance.

The most common types of resources that you’ll find in an academic database are journals and journal articles. Journals are periodicals that contain journal articles and reviews and that are published on a regular basis. Most journal articles are peer-reviewed, which means that they are credible sources.

You can use your school’s library catalog to find academic books in both print and digital formats. Books that are published by academic presses are almost always credible. The two most common types of scholarly books are monographs (single-authored books) and edited volumes (books in which each chapter is written by a different author).

How do you know if a source is credible?

In order to determine if a source is credible, you need to evaluate its content and consider where it’s been published and where you found it.

There are two primary evaluation methods for figuring out if a source is credible: 1) CRAAP and 2) the Six Question Words approach. CRAAP stands for Currency, Relevancy, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose. The Six Question Words are who, what, where, when, why, and how. To learn more details, take a look at our guide on source evaluation.

Both of these methods focus on establishing a source’s credibility. No matter what source evaluation strategy you use, you’ll want to:

• Look up the author’s credentials.
• Note where and when the source was published.
• Pay attention to the tone and purpose of the source.
• Check that the source contains citations or references.

How to cite credible sources

To create the most accurate citations for credible sources, use BibGuru’s citation generator. You can create citations for more than 70 source types in all of the major citation styles.

The BibGuru browser extension for Chrome and Edge can also help you automatically generate citations for online articles and websites. Correct citations improve your grade and help you avoid plagiarism.

Frequently Asked Questions about what is an academic database

What is a bibliography

What is academic writing?

How to read a scholarly article