by J.B.B.

Created on: May 09, 2008

In an age when everyone has an opinion and too many people have computers to express said opinion, it can be difficult for students (or anyone, for that matter) to identify trusted academic sources for papers. Papers written within the school of, under the heading of, or in an area classified as the "Liberal Arts" face particular difficulty, because "Liberal Arts" can mean anything from poetry, literature, or film - to foreign language, social science, or psychology.

In order to separate the infinite opinions and sources of information from the ones you will use in your paper can therefore be confusing. However, a few simple tips will help get you on your way.

1. Wikipedia is not a credible source for academic papers. (At least not yet. If it evolves into something more reliable than it is now, it may indeed gain credibility enough for citation)

2. Most professors, and the reviewers of more formal academic-related professional papers, do not accept dictionaries or encyclopedias as major sources.

3. Googling your topic or question may give you a list of sites that tell you what you need to know - but you're not done. Not to say that you can't use that information at all - you just can't cite it from an unknown source that randomly matched your keywords. Instead, take the information you now have, (from this source of uncertain caliber), plug it into the search engine, and find your information in a published, well known, or pre-approved source. You have now verified the information you found and also found a credible source to cite.

4. Credible sources do not include random people with opinions, even if they are listed as Dr. So-and-so, or an expert in Marine Biology. Look for published works, journals, well-known sources, and collect information from reliable places.

5. Some of the best trusted academic sources for liberal arts papers can be found through your college website, if you still have the student pass into the subscription-only library section. Collections like JSTOR, MUSE, and other scholarly journals are almost always reliable, and certainly acceptable to cite.

6. Find a book! With Google Books, it's easier than ever to find a printed, published, and credible source to cite in your paper.

7. Don't get distracted by the information offered by amateurs. Some may be right, some wrong, but ultimately, you cannot cite any of them - so focus on sources you know are reliable.

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