Evaluating Sources

Sources that have URLs ending in .com can never be used for research projects.

False

.com

commercial organizations

Based on the abstract of "Choosing the Perfect Shot—the Loaded Narrative of Imagery in Online News Coverage of Vaccines," which of the following arguments do the authors most likely make in the article? (Click on the image at right to enlarge and read the abstract.)

Nearly one in eight vaccine-related news images carries negative connotations, which may have a negative impact on viewers' attitudes toward vaccination

If a source is published online, it's credible.

False

Some areas of study require current information; others call for older sources, or a mix of current and older sources. Which of the following research topics likely require current sources only? Which likely allow for both current and historical sources?

current and historical sources Correct label: philosophies on childhood education current sources Correct label: effects of fracking on the environment Correct label: the best medical procedures for heart problems

Are the following statements about the publication dates of sources correct or incorrect?

Correct If a website lists no publication or update date, you should see if links to other sites still work. Checking links is one way to determine whether the site is too dated to use. A recent publication date doesn't always mean a potential source is good; some topics require current information, whereas others call for older sources. Incorrect It is always okay to use a source that has no date as long as the source contains information that supports your point.

Sources that have URLs ending in .org can always be used in research projects.

False

A writer researching a proposed bill to ban abortion finds an article about some of the controversies surrounding abortion. The article isn't directly relevant to his project, but the article contains an extensive bibliography. The student should consider this a potentially useful source.

True

Which steps are most useful when determining the stance of a source?

Useful Research the author to see if they are known for a particular position on the subject. Note whether the source covers various points of view or advocates only one perspective. Consider whether the title of the source suggests a certain slant. Less useful Look up difficult words. Read through the source's bibliography.

Are the following statements about the works cited by a source correct or incorrect?

correct The fact that a source cites other credible, useful sources is one indicator that the source may be useful. The fact that a source is cited in other authors' works is one indicator that the source may be useful. incorrect The fact that all the works cited by a source have the same perspective is one indicator that the source may be useful.

It is important to consider an author's credentials when evaluating whether or not a source might be useful. Based on their credentials, which of the following authors are likely to be useful and authoritative sources for a project on persuasive advertisement techniques?

Authoritative Gregory Ciotti, a marketing strategist and guest writer on marketing strategies for Entrepreneur magazine Not authoritative Simon Brown, a college student majoring in marketing Dr. Craig Chamberlain, PhD in molecular biology

A student is trying to decide whether a source is credible. She has never heard of the author before, and she doesn't see a link that might provide more information. She doesn't need to look for more information about the author, though, because the information in the source is just what she was looking for.

False

A writer is studying the incidence of meningitis among college students and searches for useful sources in the Health Source database at his school. The writer wants to evaluate the pros and cons of each of these search results to decide which ones to read. Sort the following attributes of these initial search results according to whether they are strengths or weaknesses.

Strengths the availability of "'This Disease Isn't Rare Enough For Me'" the publisher of "New Vaccine May Help Control a Lethal Infection" Weakness the publication date of "A Shot in the Dark" the publisher of "The Vaccines College Kids Need"

Imagine that you are researching caffeine use among people aged sixty and over, and you come across a July 1998 article entitled "Caffeine and the Elderly" in the scholarly journal Drugs & Aging. Which of the following questions are most important to consider when judging the usefulness of this source?

Important How current is it? Is it available? Does it cover various points of view? Is it relevant? At what level is it written? Not important Is it comprehensive?

A writer wants to study the impact of glacier melt over time. She finds a website that discusses the effects of glacier melt, but it's published by an environmental group for the purpose of promoting environmentally friendly policies, and it has a clear bias. Which of the following statements are correct?

Correct This source could provide additional sources for the writer to research. This source could provide evidence for the writer's argument in conjunction with other sources. Incorrect This source could be the writer's only source, because it presents a perspective she agrees with.

A student is researching how teenagers spend their leisure time. She comes across this line graph in a report by the Pew Research Center on social media use in 2018 and wants to use it in her project. What are some of the important questions she should ask when deciding whether to use the source?

Important What is the purpose of the graph? How was the information in the graph compiled? Who compiled the information in the graph? Less important Is it easy to figure out how to cite the graph? Is the graph attractive enough to use?

Critically reading sources means being able to extract and understand the reasons and evidence authors provide to support their argument. Read the abstract for the article "Choosing the Perfect Shot—the Loaded Narrative of Imagery in Online News Coverage of Vaccines" and select the evidence the authors provide to support their conclusions. (Click on the image at right to enlarge and read the abstract.)

vaccine-related images from Google News Archive

"When NFL player Colin Kaepernick refuses to stand for the national anthem, or the cast of the Broadway musical Hamilton confronts the vice president-elect, or the Dixie Chicks speak out against war, talk quickly turns to freedom of speech. Most Americans assume they have a constitutional guarantee to express themselves as they wish, on whatever topics they wish. But how protected by the First Amendment are public figures when they engage in political protest? "Coming out publicly, whether for or against some disputed position, can have real consequences for the movement and the celebrity. However helpful a high-profile endorsement may be at shifting the public conversation, taking these public positions—particularly unpopular ones—may not be as protected as we assume. As a professor who studies the intersection of law and culture, I believe Americans may need to revisit their understanding of U.S. history and the First Amendment."

Correct The writer of this article assumes that the audience will know or be willing to find out something about pop culture. Incorrect The author writes from a conservative religious perspective. Based on the title and first two paragraphs, this article is likely to argue that NFL players should not take a knee during the national anthem. If this source has a bias, it cannot be used.

.mil

military

A student is writing a paper on universal preschool and finds a blog that she wants to use as a source. The blog includes the first name of the author, but the student can't find a publication date or any biographical information about the author. This source would be acceptable to use.

False

Read the abstract for the article "Choosing the Perfect Shot—the Loaded Narrative of Imagery in Online News Coverage of Vaccines." Which of the following people are likely to be among the intended audience of this article? (Click on the image at right to enlarge and read the abstract.)

Among intended audience people in a health-related field journalists people with an interest in scholarly studies academics who study rhetoric and its influence upon public perceptions Not among intended audience people interested in some light reading

A writer is researching the practice of kneeling during the national anthem as a form of protest. She finds an article in a sports entertainment magazine that expresses her opinion exactly. How could this source be used in a project?

as a representation of views that are circulating in the popular media

.gov

government agencies

One way to determine whether a source is useful is to consider the author's credentials. Has the author written other works on this ________? Is the author known for a particular _______ on it ? If the credentials are not stated, you might do a _______ to see what else you can learn about the author.

subject position search

A writer is studying several different topics related to homeschooling and is looking for appropriate sources. Match each of the article titles on the left to the topic for which the article seems most useful.

the effects of homeschooling on students Correct label"Homeschooling: Adventitious or Detrimental for Proficiency in Higher Education" the history of homeschooling "Home Education: Then and Now" Correct label: "Home Education: Then and Now" the effects of homeschooling on parents "Role Strain, Emotion Management, and Burnout: Homeschooling Mothers' Adjustment to the Teacher Role" Correct label: "Role Strain, Emotion Management, and Burnout: Homeschooling Mothers' Adjustment to the Teacher Role"

If an author's credentials are not stated or linked to within a source, that source should not be used.

False

Imagine that you are researching the topic of police shootings in order to eventually pose and investigate a question. When researching, you should only search for sources that reinforce your own opinion on the subject.

False

When deciding whether to use a source, you should be sure that the source reflects only your own arguments. Presenting multiple perspectives tends to weaken a project's credibility and confuse readers.

False

A writer is studying what kinds of policies colleges and universities should develop to prevent the spread of meningitis among their students. She does a web search to look for potentially useful sources. The writer wants to evaluate the pros and cons of each of these search results to decide which ones to read. Sort the following attributes of these initial search results according to whether they are strengths or weaknesses.

Strengths The publication date of "Meningitis Threat for College Freshmen" The sponsor of the website for "Why Is Meningitis Still Causing Deaths on U.S. College Campuses" The introductory text for "Meningitis - American College Health Association" Weaknesses The title of the article "How to Protect Your College-Age Teen from Meningitis"

.org

nonprofit organizations

A writer is studying recycling practices, and she finds an article written by an organization that is pro-recycling. The article presents only one perspective on this issue. When is it acceptable for the writer to use a source like this?

The writer can use this source as long as she explains the source's stance and includes other perspectives.

One way to determine whether a source is useful is to consider its relevance. How well does a source relate to the writer's _________? What would it add to the writer's work? To get a sense of what the source covers, look at the ________ and at any ________ material (such as a preface or an abstract).

purpose title introductory

A writer is researching whether there are scientific correlations between vaccines and autism. Read the abstracts below and judge which article is most likely to be relevant to the writer (click on each image to enlarge it).

"Boundary Work and the Construction of Scientific Authority in the Vaccines- Autism Controversy"

Which questions are most important to ask when critically evaluating a source's argument?

Important Are there references or links—and if so, are they credible? How thoroughly does the author consider alternative arguments? What arguments does the author make? Less important How entertaining is the argument? How easy is the argument to understand?

Read the abstract for the article "Choosing the Perfect Shot—the Loaded Narrative of Imagery in Online News Coverage of Vaccines." Which of the following arguments would likely be supported by this source? Which would likely be challenged? (Click on the image at right to enlarge and read the abstract.)

Neither supported nor challenged: News stories about vaccination are promoted more than health-related stories people have the power to shape the media Challenged: People develop their own perspectives about issues through logic and are not susceptible to outside influence. Supported: People can be shaped by the media.

You should approach sources with an open mind but consider arguments with a critical eye, keeping in mind a number of questions. What is the author's stance? Does it seem objective, or does the content or language reveal a particular _________? Are opposing views considered and treated _______? Does this source support or ________ your own position—or does it do both? Does it support a different argument altogether? Does it represent a position you need to address? Do you recognize ideas you have run across in other ________? Are you a member of the _________ addressed—and if not, does that affect the way you interpret what you read?

bias fairly challenge sources audience

.edu

colleges or universities

Which of the following are most important to consider when evaluating the usefulness of a source?

Important The source is cited in other works. The source is readily available. The source contains a bibliography that leads to other credible and useful sources. The source substantially addresses a topic you plan to cover. Not important The source agrees with your opinion. The source is published online.

One way to determine whether a source is useful for a writer's purpose is to consider the publisher of the source. If the source is a book, what kind of ______ published it; if an article, what kind of _______ did it appear in? Books that are published by university presses and articles that appear in scholarly journals are reviewed by ________ before they are published. But books and articles written for the general public do not undergo rigorous _________ or fact-checking.

company periodical experts review

Read this excerpt from "Counting the Contribution of Hunting to South Africa's Economy" by Peet Van Der Merwe, professor of tourism at North-West University in South Africa: "The hunting of wild animals is an emotive issue, drawing fire from anti-hunting organisations and environmentalists as well as many ordinary citizens. But it also has its supporters, some of whom argue that hunting, in particular, is a valuable source of income and that it contributes to conservation of wildlife, that can be used to protect threatened species and be put to other good uses. ..."From our research, conducted in South Africa, we established that hunting contributes immensely to economic development. We looked at two main groups of hunters: international hunters, also referred to as the trophy hunters, almost all of whom are foreigners, and local hunters, known locally as the biltong hunters who hunt for meat (Biltong is a local dried meat similar to jerky)."

Correct The author provides evidence to support his claims. This article presents several different perspectives on hunting. Incorrect The author's background suggests that he will present an objective stance on the issue of hunting. The main purpose of this article is to inform readers about the pros and cons of hunting.

A writer is trying to find information about affirmative action for a college project, and a web search turns up the following URLs. Study the URLs and match them with the probable content of the websites they direct to.

an opinion piece about affirmative action www.nytimes.com/2018/07/08/opinion/affirmative-action-college.html Correct label: www.nytimes.com/2018/07/08/opinion/affirmative-action-college.html recent news regarding affirmative action www.npr.org/sections/ed/2018/07/07/626500660/everything-that-s-going-on-with-race-ethnicity-and-school-admissions-right-now Correct label: www.npr.org/sections/ed/2018/07/07/626500660/everything-that-s-going-on-with-race-ethnicity-and-school-admissions-right-now laws that deal with affirmative action education.findlaw.com/higher-education/affirmative-action-and-college-admissions.html Correct label: education.findlaw.com/higher-education/affirmative-action-and-college-admissions.html general information about affirmative action with links to other potentially useful sourcesen.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affirmative_action_in_the_United_States Correct label: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Affirmative_action_in_the_United_States