How do I know whether a source is credible?

Answer

Library subscription databases contain article citations from credible and venerable sources, many of which are not available elsewhere. This means that when you run a search, the information you find is more accurate, current, and reliable than what you would find via a Web search using Google or other search engine. 

There are many criteria that can be used to determine whether or not information from a source is credible. The following short videos and tutorials help explain evaluation of sources, bias and peer review. Another handy tool to verify the accuracy and credibility of resources is the P.R.O.V.E.N. source evaluation process. View the document below for a series of questions that you can use to help you evaluate resources for your research assignment.

Carey, E. (2018, June 18). P. R. O. V. E. N. source evaluation. Retrieved from https://www.projectcora.org/assignment/proven-source-evaluation-process

 

Rules for Evaluating Evidence

These are some filters that can help you arrive at conclusions 

  • Conflicts of interest 
  • Study design, including selection bias
  • Length of follow-up 
  • Actual improvement in health, not just improvement in surrogate markers 
  • Establishment of cause and effect relationships, not just correlation 
  • Identification of a plausible mechanism of action 
  • Serious limitations associated with self-reported data
  • Selection bias 
  • Extent to which research findings have been replicated by others 
  • Relying on the preponderance of evidence rather than a single study

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  • Last Updated May 17, 2023
  • Views 771
  • Answered By Nicole Caskey

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