Your academic sources: Reliable?

Owned by Stuart J
Dec 13, 2023
4 min read

When dinosaurs roamed the earth and I was at College, a friend got his major essay back with damning comments. The chief criticism was that all his sources were at least a decade old, and thus out-of-date. That was a novel thought for us both.

Since those days, I have learned what distinguishes good sources from the rest, and I’d like to share with you what I’ve learned.

 

“If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants”.

Isaac Newton, d. 1727

 

Even the great Newton knew he needed the work of all his predecessors to arrive at his conclusions. Without them, he may have been inconsequential.

You also need to stand on the shoulders of the giants who preceded you for many reasons. Chiefly, to inform you of thinking already done on your issue, of current debate on your topic, and to check your own thinking. In doing so, you show that you have engaged with significant and substantial thinkers in your field, and not just anyone who manages to publish.

 

Some resources are more equal than others

Last week I introduced you to the relevance of sources. In this post, we will cover the reliability of sources. We use relevance and reliability as our funnel to reduce thousands of random sources to a few of the best sources.

 

Reliability

This is where you need to decide if a source is good enough to use: Is it a great resource to invest in, or could you really do better?

For reliability, you need the CRAP Test:

  • Currency

  • Referencing

  • Authority

  • Purpose

You will remember the mnemonic even if you don’t always recall all four criteria.

The CRAP test helps you decide which sources to keep and which to toss. Like relevance, use it well, and you’ll toss out a lot of potential sources, but keep a handful of great ones. Far better to write with a handful of great sources than with a truckload of mediocre sources.

CRAP is:

  • Currency – How old is your source?

You want the most recent reliable scholarship. The theory goes like this: Scholarly writing is an ongoing conversation. And if someone writes something significant, it should be subsequently retained and developed.

Recently a scholar commented to me about a book, “It’s a good book, but it’s a little old now – it was published in 18 years ago.”

So perhaps use it in your essay, but supplement it with subsequent work on the topic.

Of course, if you are doing theology, then Anselm, Augustine, and Aquinas are all classic and substantial authors of the past. They are great enough to have survived 1000 or 1500 years and still be stimulating and reliable guides. They don’t go out of date, unlike much of what’s published today that won’t endure ten or 15 years.

You want the classics, and you want the best current scholarship.

  • Referencing

Academic work is participating in the ‘scholarly conversation.’ Newton did this (see above). Great thinkers in every field do this. Even the Biblical writers relied upon their Biblical predecessors. And you are expected to do this in your academic work.

Referencing is a way of showing and substantiating that conversation. Ask:

  • Does this writer refer to other thinkers and sources?

  • Are there footnotes or endnotes or a reference list?

  • Do they name other thinkers – even those they disagree with?

  • While Augustine didn’t name many other thinkers in his Confessions, he did in much else. And the likes of Calvin, Luther and Irenaeus also dialogued with their sources and opponents. We, too, should show the same humility.

If an academic writer engages with no one beyond themselves, then they aren’t very academic, and you would do well not to use them.

 

Authority

When you think of authority, think of the author. And the publisher!

The author: Is it someone significant, or qualified to write on the topic? Do a Google search if you don’t know them. Have they published anything else of consequence? Are they a self-appointed expert? Do they have experience in their field?

The publisher: Is it a serious academic publisher, or a popular publisher for whatever sells on the popular Christian market?

Great academic publishers are fussy about the authors and content they publish. Unknown publishers might be.

 

Purpose

I once heard D. A. Carson comment that he writes on three levels: For lay people, for students and pastors, and for scholars. No doubt all are reliable, coming from ‘the Don.’ But in an academic essay, you should not use his popular books. Go to his commentaries, articles, monographs, and edited collections.

And a word on Keller, Piper and (Jen) Wright: They wouldn’t want you to use their popular books and blogs in your essays. They would prefer you go to the great thinkers they rely on. By all means, recommend them to your flock, and read and profit from them. But don’t use them in your essays. They are good. They are not academic.

 

Time and effort:

There is no quick and easy method to find relevant, reliable sources. It is hard work, and it takes time. But it is vital to writing good academic essays, just as quality commentaries are vital to preparing to preach to your flock.

Finally:

  • Your classmates may recommend sources to you. But you still need to evaluate them for relevance and reliability. Not all sources are worth using, even if from a fellow student.

  • Ask our wonderful librarians for help. After all, they are there to assist students and faculty.

 

Bonus material!

A short, clear video explaining scholarly journals and articles (3:04 minutes) from the University of Washington

Another great little video (2:22 minutes) explaining scholarly sources and books from the University of South Australia