Chapter 2 · Practice 3 of 3
Prefer primary, citable sources over blogs and tutorials
Why it matters
Your literature review should rest on sources an examiner can check and trust:
| Strong | Acceptable with care | Weak |
|---|---|---|
| Peer-reviewed papers (IEEE, ACM, Springer, Elsevier) | Official documentation and standards | Personal blogs and tutorial sites |
| Theses from recognised universities | Reports from reputable organisations | Content farms and unattributed articles |
| Official statistics | Well-known technical books | Answers copied from Q&A sites or chatbots |
Read the source itself, not only someone's summary of it. If you found a paper through a chatbot or search summary, open the paper and confirm it exists and says what you are citing it for. Fabricated or misattributed references are an easy way to lose an examiner's trust.
Do
- Open and read every source you cite
- Use official documentation for technical claims
Avoid
- Citing a paper you have only seen in a summary