Loading...

Can you determine whether a source is credible?

When you research something for a paper or report, you need to look at lots and lots of documents. For this reason, it’s a good idea to practice determining whether they are worth your attention or not.

young woman reading a Book

Use the activity below to hone your skills in identifying credible sources. Look at each source and decide whether it is a credible source for a research topic about how often sharks attack people and why they attack them.

Shark meme
Shark Meme

This meme was not created by a scientist as a factual document. Instead, its purpose is entertainment.

excerpt from a research study report
excerpt from a research study report

This excerpt from a research study report, written by scientists, is a reliable source of information.

example of a shark attack story
example of a shark attack story

Although this information is credible and is an example of a shark attack, it does not provide any additional information about how often and why sharks attack people.

Wikipedia articles
Wikipedia articles

Wikipedia articles are not credible sources; however, they are a good place to begin your search for information that you verify elsewhere.

information from NOAA
information from NOAA

Notice that this information comes from NOAA, a government agency, which is a credible source, and it has been recently updated—in 2018.