Source reliability and trustworthiness

As is the case with any piece of literature or documentation which cites sources, it's worth considering the reliability and trustworthiness of the sources employed in my essay.

It's also worth noting that reliability and trustworthiness refer to two similar but different aspects of source analysis. Reliability addresses the physical ability of the source to aquire and disseminate factual or accurate information. Reliable sources are usually experts in their field, or have had first hand experience in an event or occurrence (though it's worth noting that eye witnesses are not always reliable).

Source trustworthiness, on the other hand, refers to the source's ability to be truthful and unbiased with regards to the nature and manner of the information it disseminates. Trustworthy sources will give an impartial view or analysis; often such a source will be a sideline watcher, simply observing an affair in lieu of taking sides. A biased and untrustworthy source is of course more common - everyone, to some extent, is opinionated, and history is of course written by the victor.