Research and Resources

Places to begin research: 

Tips and Tricks for Finding Credible Sources

1. Start Simple

You can't know what you don't know until you know SOMETHING. So when considering a topic for research, start small. Do a quick Google search and see what comes up. Build up some general background knowledge before diving into a full research binge. You've got to know a bit about the topic to understand scholarly sources :) 

2. Wikipedia is a place to get a general idea - NOT a place to cite from! 

There is a lot of hate on Wikipedia - but it's not a terrible place to gather background information or general knowledge. Starting at a Wikipedia page can actually help you better understand your later research. HOWEVER, you shouldn't ever cite Wikipedia - because anyone can be an "expert" on anything - and you should always double check your information on other, more credible sources. 

3. Use scholarly articles and databases! 

Check out the ones I've listed above if you need a place to start! Scholarly articles are always your best bet, because they're credible, peer-reviewed (meaning other people who are also experts checked and approved the author's work), and academic in nature

4. Check out the library :) 

There are tons of books on tons of topics! Additionally, asking Ms. Schroeder for help with your research will both provide you with more guidance and information, and will make her day (because she's a nerd who loves research). 

5. Check, check, and double check! 

Think you found something? AWESOME! Double check it with the CRAP test - is it current, relevant (related to your topic), accurate (and by an authority / expert who knows a lot about the topic), and purposeful? If so, you're probably okay - but make sure you can verify the information in multiple places! It's never a bad idea to run things by a teacher, librarian, or even peer, too, to have them double check your sources. 

Is it Fake news? 

With fake news running rampant, you may be looking for a great source that just seems... off. Or maybe your second cousin twice removed's best friend's boyfriend posted something on Facebook and it seems... sketchy? 

Checking for fake news is tricky. One great resource to figure out if something is real or not is Snopes.com, which is a website that checks whether articles, information, and even news is accurate! 

Another great way to verify if something is true is to see if you can find the same information somewhere else. If you find information in a news article that you can't find anywhere else, and no other news outlets seem to be reporting it, chances are, it's fake.