Secondary Sources: How can you tell if they're legit?

GREEN LIGHT 

I recommend removing all doubt. Use published books (see the library catalog) and journal articles (JStor). These sources are edited, which gives them a higher degree of accuracy. They also use secondary sources themselves. If a source has a bibliography or Works Cited information, it's almost certainly legit. 

YELLOW LIGHT

Magazines and newspapers, whether in print or online, might be acceptable. For instance, an article published in "The New York Times" or in "Hyperallergic" might be acceptable. If the topic you're writing and researching about is happening right now, it won't be represented in the scholarly sources. It's too new and it takes a while (months, sometimes years) for academic writing to get published.  

RED LIGHT

An essay posted on an individual's private blog is usually not edited. Most of your results from a Google search will yield illegitimate sources. Sometimes the writing and research can be quite good. However, they simply can't be trusted.