Loaded terms

 Suspect sources may use "loaded terms" to make their point. A term becomes "loaded" when it is asked to carry more emotional weight than its context can legitimately support. As a result, it becomes slanted or biased. These sources are often not reliable.
Words with strong connotations (emotional responses) often show bias. For example, a writer may refer to the governor's "regime" rather than "administration." "Regime" is a loaded term because it is used to describe oppressive military dictatorships.
While loaded terms are most often used in political writing and speech, they can appear in any source. That's why it's important to read critically.

MISREPRESENTATION

This type of bias takes many forms. First, a writer or speaker can lie outright. Or, a writer may be more subtle, inventing false data or "facts." In addition, dishonest writers often twist what their opponents have said. To misrepresent this way, they use oversimplification. A complex argument can be reduced to ridicule in a slogan or an important element of an argument can be skipped over.
How can you protect yourself from being misled by this type of bias? Here are some issues to consider as you evaluate a text for misrepresentation:

•    Is someone quoted out of context?
•    Are facts or statistics cited in a vacuum?
•    Does the quotation reflect the overall content of the source or does it merely reflect a minor detail?
•    Has key information been omitted?

Appropriateness

Even if a source does pass the first two tests and proves to be of high quality and free from bias, it does not necessarily mean that the source belongs to your research paper. For a source to make the final cut, it has to fit with your audience, purpose, and tone. It must be appropriate to your paper. How can you decide if a source is suitable for inclusion in your research paper? Try these suggestions:
•    Do you understand the material in the source?
•    If the source is too technical for you to grasp fully, you might not use it correctly in your paper.
•    Is the source written at a level appropriate to your readers?
•    Does this source have the information you need?
•    Does the source suit your purposes in this research paper?