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    Hierarchy of Credibility Four Categories of Sources

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    Elizabeth Barcena
    The document outlines a hierarchy of source credibility from most to least credible: I. Primary authority such as the U.S. Constitution, statutes, and case law are the most credible legal sources. II. Peer-reviewed articles and law review articles are considered very credible sources, though law review articles are "secondary sources" and cannot be cited in legal documents. III. Editorially reviewed newspaper and magazine articles have minimal oversight and little credibility. IV. Minimally reviewed sources from generic websites, blogs, and social media should never be cited in academic work. Sources found via internet searches also lack credibility.

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    Hierarchy of Credibility Four Categories of Sources

    Uploaded by

    Elizabeth Barcena
    31 views2 pages
    The document outlines a hierarchy of source credibility from most to least credible: I. Primary authority such as the U.S. Constitution, statutes, and case law are the most credible legal sources. II. Peer-reviewed articles and law review articles are considered very credible sources, though law review articles are "secondary sources" and cannot be cited in legal documents. III. Editorially reviewed newspaper and magazine articles have minimal oversight and little credibility. IV. Minimally reviewed sources from generic websites, blogs, and social media should never be cited in academic work. Sources found via internet searches also lack credibility.

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    The document outlines a hierarchy of source credibility from most to least credible: I. Primary authority such as the U.S. Constitution, statutes, and case law are the most credible legal sources. II. Peer-reviewed articles and law review articles are considered very credible sources, though law review articles are "secondary sources" and cannot be cited in legal documents. III. Editorially reviewed newspaper and magazine articles have minimal oversight and little credibility. IV. Minimally reviewed sources from generic websites, blogs, and social media should never be cited in academic work. Sources found via internet searches also lack credibility.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    31 views2 pages

    Hierarchy of Credibility Four Categories of Sources

    Uploaded by

    Elizabeth Barcena
    The document outlines a hierarchy of source credibility from most to least credible: I. Primary authority such as the U.S. Constitution, statutes, and case law are the most credible legal sources. II. Peer-reviewed articles and law review articles are considered very credible sources, though law review articles are "secondary sources" and cannot be cited in legal documents. III. Editorially reviewed newspaper and magazine articles have minimal oversight and little credibility. IV. Minimally reviewed sources from generic websites, blogs, and social media should never be cited in academic work. Sources found via internet searches also lack credibility.

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    Hierarchy of Credibility: The Food Chain of Sources

    Not all sources are equal. For the sake of simplicity, sources will be categorized
    and discussed in order of credibility (Category I the most credible, Category IV no
    credibility what-so-ever).

    I. Primary Authority is the law that supports all legal arguments. It


    regulates behavior, defines governmental procedures, outlines
    mechanisms for dispute resolution, and protects individual rights. All
    primary authority must be obtained from LexisNexis or Westlaw. The
    hierarchy of primary authority is:
    1. The U.S. Constitution
    2. State constitutions
    3. Statutes (the dual government structure of the U.S. makes
    federal and state statutes equal in their respective
    hierarchies)
    4. Case law / judicial opinions (again, the dual government
    structure of the U.S. makes federal and state cases equal
    in their respective hierarchies)

    II. Peer Reviewed articles are the most credible social science sources
    because the content is reviewed by multiple editors. All factual
    assertions, quantitative analysis, sources cited, and conclusions are
    scrutinized and corroborated before publication in an academic journal is
    approved. These articles must be obtained from the university’s LIRN
    Databases.

    Law Review articles are considered “secondary sources” in the legal


    profession (as compared to the law, which is “primary authority”). They
    are great for academic assignments but are never to be cited in real-world
    legal documents. Remember, only primary authority can be used to
    support legal arguments. Other secondary sources include: Restatements,
    Treatises, American Law Reports, and American Jurisprudence. These
    sources must be obtained from LexisNexis or Westlaw.

    III. Editorially Reviewed articles are published in newspapers and


    magazines with very minimal oversight. They have very little credibility
    and should only be cited when specifically assigned.
    IV. Minimally Reviewed sources include generic or commercial websites,
    blogs, and social media sites. Under no circumstances should it ever be
    assumed that a website obtained through a Google search is acceptable.
    There may be a very rare situation where an assignment requires or
    permits them to be referenced. However, it is highly unlikely that this
    would ever be the case in a social science or law course.

    Always rely on the general rule:

     Absolutely nothing obtained via an Internet search (i.e., Google) is ever


    to be cited in a college-level course.

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