Research: Finding and Evaluating Sources "Practice"

Read the following excerpt from the article "What's Wrong With the News?" from FAIR's (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting) website: Independent, aggressive and critical media are essential to an informed democracy. But mainstream media are increasingly cozy with the economic and political powers they should be watchdogging. Mergers in the news industry have accelerated, further limiting the spectrum of viewpoints that have access to mass media. With U.S. media outlets overwhelmingly owned by for-profit conglomerates and supported by corporate advertisers, independent journalism is compromised. Is this article biased? Why or why not? A. Yes, even though the website's name, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, seems unbiased, the title of the article, "What's Wrong With the News?" indicates a bias as does the article's contents. B. No, the title of the website, FAIR: Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, shows no bias, so articles on the site won't be biased. C. No, it is not fair, and only professional news reporters should use this site for information. D. Yes, the title of the website, FAIR: Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, shows a bias against reporters writing accurate articles.

A. Yes, even though the website's name, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting, seems unbiased, the title of the article, "What's Wrong With the News?" indicates a bias as does the article's contents.

All of the following statements about bias are TRUE except: A. bias favors one person or side over another B. bias influences in an unfair way C. bias persuades in unfair way D. bias gives an objective assessment of a situation

A. bias favors one person or side over another

Jani is researching the life span of dolphins. Which of the following would probably be the BEST website for accurate and reliable information? A. http://www.dolphins-world.com/ B. http://earthtrust.org/wlcurric/dolphins.html C. www.english-zone.com/reading/dolphins1.html D. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolphin

A. http://www.dolphins-world.com/

Based on the above image of the Defenders of Wildlife website, is the website reliable? Why? A. This website is reliable because it is professional looking. B. This website is not reliable because it is too professional looking. C. This website is reliable because it is a .org with a long valid history. D. This website is not reliable because it has too many pictures.

C. This website is reliable because it is a .org with a long valid history.

Germaine is writing a research paper on the human digestive system. In his research, he has found one source that states that nutrient absorbtion occurs in both the small and large intestines and another source that states it only occurs in the small intestine. What should he do in this situation?

Responses may vary but should include some or all o fthe following information: Germaine should consult additional sources, perhaps scholarly journals, to further validate which is true by determining the consensus of the scientific/medical community.

Phung is analyzing poems by E.E. Cummings. He is searching the Internet for some poems that are not in his literature textbook. He comes to a website called Famous Poets and Poems. Although the website has quite a few poems by Cummings, the first thing he sees when the page loads is an advertisement. Then, three advertisements appear on the page before any other text. Is this a good source for Phung to use? Why or why not?

Responses may vary. A sample response follows. It is probably not a good source to use because all the ads not only make the website hard to navigate, but also raise questions about the site's credibility.

allowed to use two websites. The second site that she clicks on is about uniform debate, and it contains a poll. Her first impression of the site is that it does not look very professional. There are misspellings and grammatical mistakes. The author of the site (though she cannot find the author's name anywhere) is very opinionated and gives outlandish reasons why uniforms should not be utilized. Describe what Jeanie is experiencing in her research.

Responses may vary. A sample response follows. Jeanie is experiencing a source that is not credible because of the author's bias against uniforms.

"Why I Wrote The Yellow Wallpaper" is a short article written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman explaining her reasoning behind writing her short story, The Yellow Wallpaper. Is her article a primary or secondary source? Why?

Responses may vary. A sample response follows: It is a primary source because it is a first-hand account.

Jenny is writing a review of the book The Story of Walt Disney - Maker of Magical Worlds by Bernice Seldon. Is the book considered a primary or secondary source in Jenny's review? Why?

Responses may vary. A sample response follows: Since Jenny's review is based on the book's contents, the book is considered a primary source.