Different types of sources

The report can include both published sources (e.g. books, serial publications, compilations, articles, presentations and other theses) and unpublished sources (e.g. letters, e-mail messages and oral communications). Oral communications should be used with caution. It is appropriate to ask for permission to use letters and e-mail messages, and usually e.g. references to persons must be removed so that their actual identities are not recognisable.

When internet sources are used, special attention should be paid particularly to reliability, credibility, objectivity and topicality (date of last update). The quality and accuracy of material published on the internet (e.g. blogs, wikis, websites) is not controlled by anyone – exceptions to this include, for example, scientific articles or other publications published by a reliable actor.

Some online sources may change or disappear at any time. Therefore, it is important to write down the date when the source was used, and also print or save a copy of the web page.