One of the easiest ways to quickly locate information is the Internet. While they may be good places to get leads and ideas, websites generally should not be used as references. This is especially true of sites that allow users to submit and edit articles.
Encyclopedias and textbooks contain reliable information but should not be used as sources in a proper research paper. Encyclopedias and textbooks are not typically original sources. They are, like research papers, organized collections of facts taken from other sources. They are both excellent tools to use in writing research papers but should not be cited themselves as sources. Instead, look at the citations used in these volumes and go directly to the sources for your reference.
Newspapers and magazines should not be cited, as they are not peer-vetted academic publications. They may be used as ideas or platforms, but the information contained within is not considered credible as a resource for a legitimate research paper. As with encyclopedias and textbooks, newspapers and magazines may serve as useful tools in writing but should not be used in research.
Television and radio broadcasts should generally be avoided as citations for research papers because it is difficult to ascertain the sources of the information and to separate opinion from fact.
There are, of course, exceptions to these rules. If a medium is the subject of a research paper, it may be cited in the resources. For example, a research paper on the effect of a specific website on search engine results would most likely include that website as a cited resource.