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Determining the Credibility of a Source

Documentary Based Research11 Honors

Primary or Secondary

Primary Sources: Literary works (poems, short stories, novels, essays, plays); documents, autobiographies; letters; interviews; speeches; surveys; tables of statistics

Secondary Sources: Comment on or analysis of an original text; biographies

Primary Source

Credibility is not an issue Why?

Bias may need to be a consideration Why?

Secondary Sources

Evaluation of these sources is essential

Credibility of authorship, authenticity, accuracy, and bias may be an issue

Evaluating a Source

Purpose Author’s Intent Bias Credibility

Purpose

Usefulness: What will this source add to your research project? Will it help support a major point, demonstrate you have researched thoroughly, or help establish your own credibility as a conscientious researcher?

Author’s Intent

Level of specialization: General sources can be helpful when you are beginning your research, but you may need more specialized or more current resources. Ask yourself: “Who was this source written for?

A general audience? A more specialized group?” How does this resource fit with your audience and

purpose?

Bias

Stance of the source: It’s important to identify the source’s point of view (bias). Would the author have a reason to slant the information? Omit essential facts or details? Identifying the source is the first step toward evaluating whether the source’s bias would be a concern.

For instance, would the source be trying to convince you of an idea? Sell something? Call you to action? Do any of those purposes call the information in the source into question?

Credibility

Credentials of the publisher or sponsor: What can you learn about the newspaper or sponsor of the source? For example, is it a newspaper known for integrity or is it a tabloid? Is it a popular source, or is it sponsored by a professional organization or academic institution? Is the book published by a company you recognize or can locate easily on the web?

Credibility

Cross-references to the source: Is the source cited in other works? If you see the source cited other places, notice what another author says about the source. Another’s comments may give you insight into the credibility.

Accuracy of the source: Can you find other sources that have similar information or support parts of what you find in this source?

Red Flags for Credibility

Anonymity – no author or sponsoring entity Negative reviews by other sources Misspelled words and poor grammar Vague or sweeping generalizations One-sided viewpoint that does not address an

opposing side

More Red Flags

Intemperate tone or language ("stupid jerks," "shrill cries of my extremist opponents") 

Overclaims ("Thousands of children are murdered every day in the United States.") 

Sweeping statements of excessive significance ("This is the most important idea ever conceived!") 

Conflict of Interest ("Welcome to the Old Stogie Tobacco Company Home Page. To read our report, 'Cigarettes Make You Live Longer,' click here." or "The products our competitors make are dangerous and bad for your health.")

URL Cues

edu = educational institution http://docsouth.unc.edu.

gov = US government site http://memory.loc.gov.org = organization or association http://www.theaha.org.

com = commercial site http://www.historychannel.com.museum = museum http://nc.history.museum.

net = personal or other site http://www.californiahistory.net

Choosing a Source

Your topic is acid rain and its effect on automobile paint. Would you be more likely to find relevant information in:

A. A brochure advertising Ford’s newest “Green” models

B. A National Geographic article on changing weather patterns

C. A study conducted by BMW on exterior paint for cars

D. ICAR research on automobile safety in hurricane force wind and rain

Answer

The correct answer is C because it specifically refers to automobile exterior paint. All of the other sources listed do not

refer to automobile paint. They may deal with rain – but nothing indicates they refer to acid rain.

Choosing a Website

For a research paper on the history of the sport of lacrosse, which website will be the most relevant and reliable?

A. www.lacrosse.com (home page of the Great Atlantic Lacrosse Company, which sells lacrosse equipment)

B. www.lacrosse.org (home page of US Lacrosse, the governing body over men and women’s lacrosse teams in the US)

C. www.lacrosseuniversity.com (website of Lacrosse University in Bay St. Louis, MS)

D. www.warriorlacrosse.com (website of manufacturer of lacrosse equipment

Answer

The correct answer is B. Option A and D both represent retail companies who sell sporting equipment. Their websites would be unlikely to have much information about the history of the sport. Option C is a link to a university. Option B is a link to an organization that oversees the development and rules of the sport, thus they would be more likely to have information about the history of the sport