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FSEM 197: American Medicine

COURSE | FSEM 197: American Medicine


What Makes a Resource Credible?

  • Author - Who wrote/created the content in question? A novice, amateur, expert?
  • Publisher - Who chose to put this content out into the world? Are they a trusted and respected? A popular publication, academic institution, scientific lab, government association, one of the big 5 publishers, self published?
  • Audience - Who is this written/created for? The general public, experts in the field, professionals, amateurs?
  • References - Do they have references? If so, how are they written? Are their sources credible? Do they meet a particular criterion? Is there a style like APA, MLA, or Chicago?
  • Writing Style - How is the resource formulated? How is the material written systematically or is it unorganized? Is the writing formal, colloquial, or somewhere in between?

Types of Sources

There are three types of sources: primary, secondary, and tertiary. Each source type has a different purpose, determined by how it is used in relation to the other sources you are using and the scope of your research.  It is important to use a strong mixture of source types in order to have well rounded research. 

Primary Source - The Original (idea, theory, resource, item, etc.)

Secondary Source - Commentary (analysis, criticism, critique) on the Original

Tertiary Source - Summary of the Original (e.g. Reference Resources)

Primary Source Secondary Source Tertiary Source
"Votes for Women" Pin Magazine Article on Women's Suffrage in Philadelphia Reader's Companion to Women's Suffrage
The Play "Waiting for Godot" Journal Article on the Play Samuel Beckett: A Reference Guide
Scholarly Article of an Experiment Scholarly Article that Critiques Experiment Encyclopedia Entry on Special Relativity
Letter from Beatrix Potter to Noel Moore Chapter from a Book on Edwardian Literature Dictionary of English Literature Entry
Comic Strip First Depicting the Bechdel Test Criticism of the Bechdel Test Wikipedia Article on the Bechdel Test
Performance of an Opera Review of the Performance Synopsis of the Opera

Scholarly Journals

Scholarly Journals, also known as Academic Journals, are written by scholars for scholars. Often these materials are peer-reviewed, or approved by a group of experts in the field prior to publication, but not all are peer-reviewed. To check this either search the publication website or use Ulrich's Web to determine if the Journal is peer-reviewed.

Authors: Scholars or Researchers

Publisher: University Press, Professional Association, Respected Institution

Audience: Scholars, Researchers, Practitioners

References: Formal Citations in a Citation Style (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.)

Style: Technical, with specific language related to the discipline.

Contains:

Check out Anatomy of a Scholarly Article for more information. 

Examples: