When it comes to ChatGPT’s output, there’s no beating its speed. That’s a big part of the program’s allure: being able to plug in a prompt or two and get back long, detailed, accurate pieces in mere seconds.
At least, they seem accurate at first.
However, as ChatGPT becomes more widely used, more and more users are noticing that the program seems to struggle with being factually accurate. From getting simple facts wrong to outright inventing sources just to give an answer, many people find themselves relying less and less on ChatGPT for accuracy.
So, now you find yourself having to do research yourself for your latest piece. If you find yourself stuck, read on to see which resources you can use to ensure you put out an accurate, reliable piece.
1. Use Google Scholar
Google Scholar, despite being around for years, is a resource that’s still rarely talked about. As the name implies, it’s a version of Google that only shows scholarly sources, such as peer-reviewed journals and university studies. It’s often used by college students and those who only want to use properly-researched sources.
This, especially when combined with other scholarly search engines like JStor and Project MUSE, makes it easy to do proper research for those longer, more academic pieces!
2. Use Wikipedia References
Yes, yes, I know. Wikipedia is constantly changing and being edited, so it in and of itself isn’t a reliable source. And to an extent that’s true (though some have found Wiki pages to rival Encyclopedia Britannica articles), so what you really want is that long list of links and resources at the bottom of each Wikipedia page.
Those links lead back to more reputable sources, such as reliable newspapers, books, journals and more. So if you need to write on a particular topic, just find a Wiki page or two and scroll down to the resource list to get started on your research!
3. Know Which Online Sites Are Reliable
We all know those websites that we can rely on for accurate news. Washington Post, Time Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and The New York Times are just some magazines and newspapers that we turn to for the latest information. While there’s an undeniable bias to all news sources, leaning on reputable, decades-old sources are sure to improve the accuracy of your writing - just remember to cite all sources!
And if an article has been taken down, archives like the Wayback Machine can be a great tool for finding removed or delisted articles.
Conclusion
It’s actually very easy to be more accurate than ChatGPT. In its current form, ChatGPT needs to be fact-checked and edited from tip to tail - and it’s just not worth the extra work! If you’re working on something that needs lots of cited sources, you’re better off doing the work yourself instead of generating resources that may not even exist! Measure twice, cut once.
