Research: B2+. Anneli Williams

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       Choosing academically credible source material for your essay

      Selecting good quality source material for your essay is a key skill. Relying on materials recommended in your course reading list is a safe option, but it may not give you all the information you need. You will have to develop the ability to select the right type of material yourself. This is particularly important if you use the internet for research.

       Glossary

      source material Source materials are books, articles, and other documents that provide information for a piece of research.

      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.

      

Exercise 1

      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.

      

have professional qualifications showing they have the knowledge and training to write about the topic

      

are connected to or work for a recognized and respected organization, for example a university, a research institute, a government department, or professional association

      

have their work published by recognized publishing houses, journals or organizations

      

are cited in other academic works

      

do not gain commercial advantage through promoting certain views.

       Tips

      

If you are not sure whether a publisher, journal or organization is suitable, ask your lecturer and/or university librarian for advice.

      

If you do not know whether the author of a book or article has been cited in other academic works, check the bibliographies of related publications.

      

Search for the item through Google Scholar™, which shows how often publications have been cited in other academic literature.

      

Exercise 2

      Read the following biographical information about an author.

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