Evidence Research
In this section, you will learn about where to find reliable research, what makes a good researcher versus what makes a bad researcher, what makes research worth your time, and how to properly research authors.
Where do I Find Reliable Research?
Government Agencies:
Government agencies often provide information on a country (or state of a country). They are useful for statistics and provide professionally founded research! Look for .gov in a URL to know if it is a government controlled website.Peer-Reviewed Journals:
A peer-reviewed journal means that a study was conducted by an expert (or multiple experts) and was reviewed by experts. When a study or research is reviewed multiple times by professionals, it is highly likely that the research is valid in its findings.Professional Organizations:
Websites with .org in their URL are generally seen as reliable. A registered organization is reliable because it only allows experts on the organization to edit the website, opposed to other websites that end in .com.Educational Institutions:
Websites with .edu in their URL are reliable because they are an educational institution. We give these websites their credibility because of their high status of representing a university or college.Databases:
Databases are a great place to find all of these reliable sources! A database can hold multiple sources from a variety of platforms (i.e. newspapers, journals, government agencies, encyclopedias) all in one spot!Good vs. Bad Research Habits
| Good Research Habits | Bad Research Habits |
|---|---|
| Finds reliable sources | Uses unreliable sources |
| Finds multiple sources that relay the same information | Reads the first thing that they see and uses the information |
| Uses multiple keywords to find research | Uses only one keyword to find information |
| Pays attention to any biases | Disregards biases |
- peer reviewed
- a section in a journal
- funded by a trustworthy organization
- recently published (within the last 10 years)
- includes participants of a variety of age, gender or race
- On many websites, there is a link embedded to the author’s name. This will usually lead you to the author’s website/about the author page, in which you will be able to read about their expertise in the content area.
- The author may list their credibility throughout the writing. They may introduce any background information about them and what organization/research team they are affiliated with.
- Try to find other works they might’ve done. This could include speeches, other research projects, or books.
