It is important that you use reliable and credible sources in writing your research paper. Here are some guidelines to follow as you select your sources.

Use the most recent sources available. Often the content of older sources is outdated and has been replaced by more current research.

If possible, use scholarly journals rather than popular magazines.

Use scholarly books and avoid general encyclopedias. General encyclopedias are good for building your own background knowledge on your subject, but you should not rely on them for your final paper. For further instruction on this you should check with your teacher.

Be very critical in choosing your Internet resources

• Be especially wary of .com sites (especially sites like geocities.com or angelfire.com, or tripod.com, or anything that looks like it might be a member page on an ISP like aol.com or earthlink.net, or Comcast.net).
   

• Generally .edu, .org, .gov, or .mil sites are trustworthy.
   

• Do not use pages where no author is indicated.
   

Regardless of the type of source you use, be alert for bias that might mean the information in the source is slanted one way or another. Ask yourself the following questions:

• Does the author use language that reveals a bias or prejudice?

• Are opposing arguments presented fairly?

• Is the author associated with any special interest group that might present biased information?