Most university research assignments come with specific expectations about the types of sources you will use. In any case, you want to understand whose work you are citing and what expertise they have on that specific topic.
If you're not sure whether any source is suitable for a particular assignment, ask your instructor or a librarian.
Is this a journal article?
Can I use Wikipedia?
Can I use this website?
Is this a journal article?
You can sometimes find journal articles using Google and other general-purpose search engines! (It is much easier to find them using OneSearch or Google Scholar, though.) To figure out whether something is an academic journal article, try to find these things:
- the name of the journal. Use this (and Google) to find the homepage for the journal itself.
- the publisher of the journal. This might be a large academic publishing corporation (such as Elsevier, Sage, or Wiley), a university (such as the University of Toronto), or a scholarly society (such as the American Ornithological Society).
- the editorial board or a list of editors.
- information about peer review. This is often on an "instructions for authors" page or an "about" page. Usually, if you're supposed to be using scholarly journal articles, your instructor means articles that have been reviewed through a process called "double-anonymous peer review" or "double-blind peer review." Some journals use other types of peer review. Your instructor can let you know if they're suitable.
Can I use Wikipedia?
Wikipedia is a great place to start to get a quick background on a topic, but it's typically not considered an appropriate source for a research paper. (If you think you have a good reason to use a Wikipedia page, check with your instructor. For example, if your topic is about Wikipedia, you will probably want to cite many Wikipedia pages!)
You can sometimes use the references at the bottom of a Wikipedia page to find other sources for your paper. You will want to evaluate these sources just like any other article or webpage.
Can I use this website?
Check with your instructor or your assignment to see what kinds of sources you can use.
If you’re allowed, make sure you understand who created the content you are citing and what its purpose is. For example, a labour union's website will have information that advocates for the rights of their members. A company's website will have information that makes their product look appealing to customers, or their company look appealing to shareholders and investors. Different news organizations have different perspectives and priorities in their coverage.
If you can explain who created the content, what they're trying to communicate or achieve, and when the information was created or updated, you'll be able to use it more intelligently in your paper. If you're not sure, ask a librarian!