Every time you go to a source for information or to support your thesis, you are depending on that information to be correct and the author to be reliable. How can you determine whether or not the information is safe to use? Check on the author's background; is this person a well-recognized authority in the field? If so, he or she is more likely to be reliable than someone who has no credentials. Does the information appear to be correct, or does it contradict everything else you've heard or read? If the argument differs from that given in the majority of sources, does it seem logical and is it well supported? Does the author report firsthand research, or is the book or article merely restating information second hand? If your source is not the primary one, try to locate the original report; check the accuracy.

And, if you're doing research on the Web, be especially cautious about biases and incorrect information. Here are some tips for doing Web-based research.

1. Think about your descriptors, the words you use in your search. Are they broad, or do they pinpoint as closely as possible the topic you 're looking for? If, for example, you search for the word "business" your search will be much broader than if you look for "American business" or "American business ethics." Try to refine your descriptors as much as possible, especially if you begin with a broad topic and note more focused references given by some of the sources you locate.
2. Think about the sources of the information. Why are they reliable, or not? Can you trust the source to provide accurate information?
3. Can you find interest groups that deal with your topic? Do they have chat groups that you can join or in which you can lurk?
4. Check written sources, e.g., journals about your topic. Often the written sources provide URLs for sites with information about your topic.

Be sure to document sources carefully and thoroughly. Even though APA and MLA formats for documentation of online sources are now available online, you will want to review the APA and MLA formats in your writing handbook. These style guides present formats that have been developed over many years, and the format today reflects changes in technology and usage.

Documentation of electronic sources is still in the format development phase, so the form in which you present your reference citations today or tomorrow may change in the next few years. In the meanwhile, use your writing handbook as your guide for citing reference sources or visit the appropriate Web site to obtain correct format. You are responsible for providing correct citations according to the format; not to do so may be considered plagiarism.