Is LitCharts a credible resource? (2024)

FAQs

Is LitCharts a reliable source? ›

LitCharts is created by literature experts, run by literature experts, and every LitChart is written by a literature expert. Our founders, Ben and Justin, are experts in English Literature. They both graduated magna cum laude with highest honors in English Literature from Harvard.

LitCharts is a great resource to use with ESL/ELL and intervention students to reinforce concepts in texts provided. It is also helpful for students who lack experience with challenging literary classic.

We're Ben and Justin, the co-founders of LitCharts and the original editors of SparkNotes.

LitCharts uses industry standards, including SSL encryption, to safeguard the confidentiality of your personally identifiable information.

Copying LitCharts content without citing it appropriately is plagiarism and can have severe consequences, including academic discipline or even expulsion. Please only use LitCharts to help you understand literature and literary analysis, and always cite our content thoroughly in order to prevent plagiarism.

Popular and collective websites (ask.com, about.com, WebMD.com, Sparknotes.com, etc.) are not generally acceptable as credible sources. These sites have freelance writers who may or may not be experts in the field. The articles and information they collect from other sources may not be reliable.

LitCharts was founded in 2008 by Justin Kestler and Ben Florman, who led the editorial and product development of SparkNotes, another literature guide series, in the early 2000s.

We're delighted you're interested in trying out LitCharts A+! We don't offer a free trial, but you can download a few free samples of our downloadable products to get a better idea of what's included in the membership.

While many of the resources here can be a huge support to struggling readers, the ads and other distracting content may prove to be too tempting -- so use with caution.

Because online resources like SparkNotes are meant to supplement study rather than replace it, they can be either horribly misused — with unfortunate consequences to students' grades and professors' trust in their character — or carefully used to great success.

Is it OK to cite SparkNotes? ›

For every guide on our site (including No Fear Literature, No Fear Shakespeare, and theSparkNotes in our “Other Subjects” section), please cite “SparkNotes Editors” in place of an author. Our guides are created by a team of writers and editors, so we don't attribute them to a specific author.

Our literature guides are meant to be read along with the books they analyze. They are not intended to be copied on tests or papers (aka plagiarized). Plagiarism is copying the words or the ideas of another person or institution without acknowledging that you got those words or ideas from that source.

Top 7 Competitors & Alternatives to sparknotes.com

litcharts.com , with 7.87M visits, 69 authority score, 56.39% bounce rate. cliffsnotes.com , with 4.68M visits, 69 authority score, 66.67% bounce rate. gradesaver.com , with 3.33M visits, 59 authority score, 65.57% bounce rate.

The estimated total pay range for a Freelance Writer at LitCharts is $22–$42 per hour, which includes base salary and additional pay. The average Freelance Writer base salary at LitCharts is $30 per hour.

With LitCharts, their goal was to use technology to rebuild the literature guide format from the ground up. Fast forward 11 years, and LitCharts now offers over 2,000 digital literature guides that are read by millions of visitors each month.

Everything in a SparkNote—from the chapter summaries, to the analysis of themes, to the sample essays—is copyrighted, and using or copying that content without crediting SparkNotes as the source is not only plagiarism, but is also illegal.

GradeSaver attempts to be as accurate as possible in describing its services and in posting content. However, GradeSaver does not warrant that service descriptions or other content of this site is accurate, complete, reliable, current, or error-free.

CommonLit works hard to ensure that scores produced by the Assessment Series assessments are both reliable and valid.