Hierarchy of Sources
- Primary
sources – not what something said Aristotle said, what Aristotle ACTUALLY
said
- Books
Academic
publishers (MIT University Press, U of California, Southern Illinois, etc.)
Trade press (Sage, etc.)
Commercial press
(Double Day, Simon & Schuster, etc.)
- Articles
appearing in academic journals
- Studies
and research reports
- Interviews
with an expert in the area you are researching
- National
& international news weeklies (Newsweek,
U.S. News & World Reports, The Economist,
etc.)
- Newspapers
– real ones (Washington Post, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, etc.)
- Official
university and governmental web pages
Public agency and individual
reputable researchers’ web pages
- T.V.
and radio shows
- Interviews
with non-experts (your friends)
- Non-sponsored
internet sites, web pages and discussion groups
- Faith-based
texts
- Anecdotal
evidence (own stories)
This is a general guide for you to use to determine the
credibility of sources. There is leeway in the exact numbering of each type of
source, depending on the audience you are speaking to and your chosen topic.
Always take measures to check the credibility and usefulness
of your sources for your particular rhetorical situation.