Critical approach to sources

You may refer to many kinds of material in your thesis. What is essential is how you use it: do you refer to a source as a study to be taken seriously or to be considered authoritative on other merits, or does your source demonstrate a “common manner of speaking” or a common belief.  Therefore, it is essential to approach sources critically: the aim and content of a text on an organisation’s website are different from those of a study conducted in the respective field. Be critical about studies too. This simply means that you do not believe everything “in print” but also ask how, for which purposes and with which methods the study or text was produced. (Tips for approaching sources critically, see e.g. Hakala 2004, 89-97. A SOURCE IN ENGLISH WILL BE ADDED)

The following things should be considered when choosing a source: if the author is an expert (and possibly well known) in the field, objectivity (e.g. ideological commitments, commercial interests), origins of information, and if the source is recent and up-to-date (as a rule, the sources should be less than 5 years old). Nevertheless, older sources can be used, if they provide essential information as e.g. basic works in the field.