Unit 5: Conducting Independent Research
40 Using Popular Sources
Guidelines for using popular sources
Popular sources can be good sources of examples and historical background. Use these criteria for evaluating them:
- Who wrote it?
- When was it written? (Try to use sources no more than 5 years old, unless you have a specific reason, e.g. providing historical context.)
- Is there any bias or agenda from the website or author? (If there is bias, the source might be inappropriate, or you will need to acknowledge the bias in your paper.)
