Dissertation Paper

1. Introduction

While writing a research paper and dissertation, it is important to use credible sources of information to ensure the accuracy of the information that is to be used within the writing piece. It is not always easy to differentiate between reliable sources and unreliable ones as endless information is circulating and readily available on the internet. Fortunately, there are a few simple tips to make sure whether you're using reliable sources for your research paper/dissertation or not.

By exploring various available sources of research information we can understand how and where we can find incredible sources to make our research the most effective it can be.

2. How to Find Credible Sources for a Dissertation or Research Paper?

Go Easy:

This strategy simply means, that while finding credible sources of information, the most suitable way is to start the hunt is through common search engines. You must copy your topic that is to be searched, on the search engine and then identify what kind of information related to that is available.

Keyword Search:
Common search engines will provide you related keywords so that you can openly access credible sources. According to the dissertation help firm keyword, searching tips are also crucial in this context as they will direct your search towards the shortest possible path to get relevant data.

Avoid Wikipedia and Encyclopaedia:

Although Wikipedia and Encyclopaedia are large databases, they should always be avoided when writing a research paper because they allow people to edit information. Such sites are often inaccurate and one of the most unreliable sources of research information which is not credible.

Scholarly Databases:

A researcher who aspires for credible sources of information for his/her dissertation/research paper, always finds scholarly databases as the best friend. Scholarly databases are user-friendly and provide the most credible or reliable pieces of information to the researchers. Google Scholar is one of the most useful databases used by a large number of researchers worldwide and is a key source for effective data search.

3. Where to Find Credible Sources for a Research Paper or Dissertation?

Online and Offline Libraries:

No one doubts the credibility of knowledge that a library can provide. But the current Covid-19 pandemic situation has greatly decreased number of visitors per day in the libraries. However, with the advancement of technology, online or digital libraries are considered as the most reliable database that can be used in research without the strain of being physically available.
Magazines and Newspapers:

Magazines are written to capture the attention of the public, because they have diversified content without any scientific basis. The credibility of articles published in magazines is debatable. Local newspapers sometimes publish biased information regarding a controversial event. This shows that the lack of authenticity of data in magazines and newspapers is somewhat less reliable to use in academic research articles or dissertations.
Journals:

Journals are reliable sources of information. Google scholar is the most common tool used for opening scientific journals related to every field as shown in Table 1. The list of scientific journals varies depending upon the domain of study. Chemistry has its list of reliable journals and medicine has its own. So, through this understanding, students should search for specific journals that provide them with the most relevant data to support their arguments.
Web Sources:

Checking the reliability of network resources can be very difficult. They often don't have a separate author or release date, which can be more difficult to understand and interpret. Website content also does not follow editing and review standards that the journals follow. Content of the websites can be published any time without passing through quality checks or standards and this shows that web sources are less credible than academic books or journals.
 

4. Criteria to Search Credibility of Research Sources

The criteria for allocating credible research sources is highlighted as follows;
Reliable Websites:

The data present in authentic websites are good to support your dissertation. Therefore, government and education sites are generally the safest and can be used within research writing. These include The Economist, BBC News, US Census Bureau, Science.gov, or Popular Science, and Statista.

Reliable Journals:

While using Scientific journals for data collection, the determination regarding credibility of sources becomes much easier. This is possible because journals are published after passing through a long-term publishing process, and because of this, a student can trust journals easily. The Manager of cheap essay writing service says that the most helpful journals in research work include Microsoft Academics, Oxford Academics, SAGE publishing, and many more. Further information about credible databases is given in Tables 1 and 2 below.
 

 Table 1: Credible websites and journals.


5. Tips to Find, and Cite Credible Sources of Information


1. Data needs to be updated so as to customize the year's range before searching articles.
The purpose of the research must be kept in mind while searching for data regarding the dissertation/ research paper.
  • A list of key points should be made before searching.
  • Create a library for relevant data.
  • Try to include all different types of sources to enhance the validity of your research.
  • Properly cite the source, URL, and web links, so that anyone can easily assess your data sources.
  • Do not amend data from the other sources to present your fake research.

Disciplines

Credible journals

 

 

Interdisciplinary

Oxford Academic

Cornell University Library

SAGE Publishing

JSTOR

Microsoft Academics

Wiley Online Library

Science and humanities

PhilPapers

American Comparative Literature Association

 

 

 

Science and Mathematics

 

 

 

Medicine

Pubmed

NCBI

Scupos

Eliviser

Spring Publications

OMICS Internationals

Science direct

Research Gate

American Mathematic Society

 

 Table 2: List of some credible journals


If students still face challenges in evaluating the credibility of sources, then the understanding of the CRAAP test can further facilitate them. A CRAAP test takes into account various parameters to test the credibility of sources including currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose. These factors help in finding reliable sources of information to enhance the impact of a specific research.