Advances in information technology have increased the amount of information available but made it more difficult to identify good quality material. It is now possible for virtually anyone with access to the internet to make their writing available to the public. Whereas in the past, publishers and librarians would have screened information for quality, now the researcher is largely responsible for this task.
Some sources, academic journal articles for example, are normally considered more academically acceptable than newspaper articles for example. However, what is acceptable for your essay will depend on your topic and how you intend to use the material. If, for example, you are writing an essay analysing media coverage of the 2008 banking crisis, it would not only be appropriate but also necessary to refer to newspaper articles and news broadcasts. Nevertheless, you would also need to find sources that support your observations and ideas about the media coverage. To do this, you need to find academically credible source materials.
Glossary
screen If you screen something, you check it systematically to decide whether it is suitable.
cite If you cite something, you quote it or mention it, especially as an example or proof of what you are saying.
There are many different types of materials available, each with advantages and disadvantages. Although some sources of information may not be sufficiently rigorous for you to cite in your essay, they may be useful to you in other ways as you do your research. Popular magazines such as The Economist or New Scientist, for example, could give you a readable introduction to a topic and ideas that you can then go on to investigate through more academic sources if required.
Match each type of material 1–6 with the comment a—f that you think best fits.
| Type of material | Lecturers’ thoughts on academic credibility |
| 1 Online encyclopaedias (for example, Wikipedia™) | a ‘These rate highly in terms of academic credibility and up-to-date developments in the field, but they can be very technical, highly specialized and difficult to read.’ |
| 2 Newspapers (for example, The Times) | b ‘These can give you a useful overview of the subject and are academically credible. They are bulky but generally easy to read as they have been written for learners.’ |
| 3 Academic journals | c ‘These books are often fun and possibly interesting to read but not usually considered appropriate academic sources. Issues are often presented in a subjective and entertaining way to maximize sales.’ |
| 4 Lecture notes | d ‘Anyone can write articles for these. The information is not peer-reviewed, so it may be biased, subjective or inaccurate. But they can be useful for a quick overview of the subject and are easy to access if you have a computer.’ |
| 5 Popular books | e ‘The information is up-to-date but may have been hastily researched and/or sensationalized. Not generally considered academically credible.’ |
| 6 Textbooks | f ‘It’s OK to cite this source from time to time, so long as you demonstrate that you’ve thought critically about it. Lecturers generally don’t like having their words quoted back to them as if they were the absolute truth.’ |
Knowing who the experts are
Before you spend time reading a text, it is normally a good idea to check the author’s credentials. Authors of good quality, reliable information generally:
Glossary
credentials Someone’s credentials are their previous achievements, training, and general background, which indicate that they are qualified to do something.
Tips
Read the following biographical information about an author.
Does the author appear to have suitable academic credentials? Why or why not?
‘Heidi Cullen is a senior research scientist with Climate Central, a non-profit research organization through which she reports on climate change for news outlets, including PBS NewsHour, Time.com and The Weather Channel. Before joining Climate Central, Dr. Cullen served as The Weather Channel’s first on-air climate expert and helped create Forecast Earth, the first weekly television series to focus on issues related to climate change and the environment. She is a visiting lecturer at Princeton University, a member of the American Geophysical Union and American Meteorological Society, and an associate editor of the journal Weather, Climate, and Society […] She holds a BS in engineering and a PhD in climatology from Columbia University and lives with her husband and two dogs in Princeton, New Jersey.’
Source: Extract “About the Author” from The Weather of the Future by Heidi Cullen. Copyright © 2010 by Heidi Cullen.
Tips