1. Finding Credible SourcesOr
Who can you trust when doing your research?

2. Start with a simple search.
Search engines, such as Google or Yahoo! are great places to start
But remember, they ARE NOT sources themselves
Avoid Wikipedia. 
It is not acceptable as a source
Print and digital encyclopedias, such as Encyclopedia Britannica and InfoPlease.com are excellent sources
Wikipedia that allow multiple users to edit, some one can place misleading information on it.

3. Use online scholarly databases
InfoTrac, LexisNexis and EBSCO
Newspapers and magazines 
Are rich sources of information about what is happening now
Don’t forget the library. 
overlooked because students think it’s more convenient to look subjects up online
Might miss out on accidentally stumbling upon a book or magazine that might just be the perfect source for your research paper.

4. How Do I Know If My Source Is Credible?
Does it Have:
Expert Author:
an authority on the subject matter
will typically list the author’s academic degree and affiliate institution
Author Objectivity:
It should be clear that the author’s purpose is to inform, educate and explain
The author’s arguments should be support by properly cited facts from multiple sources
Peer Reviews:
reviewed by other experts in the author’s field of study
High-Quality Content:
material should be clearly organized and relevant to the topic at hand
should be well written and free of grammatical and spelling errors

5. PRIMARY SOURCES
A primary sources is any item that has a direct connection to the topic you are studying
written documents
Interviews
Anything else directly related: i.e. paintings,
coins, clothing, etc.

6. Secondary Sources
Secondary sources are those items not directly connected to the topic being studied

7. Types of sources Reference Sources
provide important background information and help you better understand your topic
a great place to start your research by getting some basic facts and information
things like encyclopedias. DO NOT USE WIKIPEDIA

8. Books and Textbooks present a multitude of topics
Because of the time it takes to publish a book, books usually contain more dated information than will be found in journals and newspapers.
provide in-depth analysis of your topic.
Scholarly books are written and reviewed by experts.

9. Journal Articles
provide in-depth analysis on very narrowly focused topics
Scholarly articles are written and reviewed by experts
Academic and trade journals are where to find the most up-to-date information and research in industry, business, and academia
several forms, including literature reviews that overview current and past research, articles on theories and history, or articles on specific processes or research.

10. Newspaper & Magazine Articles
provide basic coverage of your topic
allow you to track media coverage of your topic
covering the latest events and trends
contain very up-to-date information
report both information that is factual in nature and also share opinions

11. Government Reports and Legal Documents:
The government releases information intended for its own use or for public use
documents can be an excellent source of information
An example of a government report is the U.S. Census data
government reports and legal documents can now be accessed online.

12. Press Releases and Advertising:
Companies and special interest groups produce texts to help persuade readers to act in some way or inform the public about some new development

13. Flyers, Pamphlets, Leaflets:
some flyers or pamphlets are created by reputable sources
many less-than-reputable sources also produce these
are useful for quick reference or very general information.

14. Multimedia:
Printed material is certainly not the only option for finding research
radio and television broadcasts, interactive talks, and public meetings

15. Websites provide quick, free access to information types of all kinds
most of the information on the Internet is distributed via Web sites
vary widely in quality of information and validity of sources
Be careful to evaluate the reliability of web sources.

16. Weblogs / Blogs: A rather recent development in Web technology
type of interactive journal where writers post and readers respond
vary widely in quality of information and validity of sources
For example, many prestigious journalists and public figures may have blogs, which may be more credible of a blog than most.

17. Message boards, Discussion lists, and Chat rooms:
exist for all kinds of disciplines
plenty of boards exist that are rather unhelpful and poorly researched.

18. Multimedia on the Web: has a multitude of multimedia resources
including online broadcasts and news, images, audio files, and interactive Web sites.