how do you evaluate the credibility of a sourcehow do you evaluate the credibility of a source

Being able to evaluate the credibility of information is an important skill used in school, work, and day-to-day life. Does it look professional to you? Clickbait is a type of sensationalized advertisement that seeks to attract viewers through catchy or seemingly unbelievable headlines. Evaluating source credibility is an important information literacy skill. As a rule of thumb, if a source is even passively trying to convince you to purchase something, it may not be credible. The domain extension can help you understand what type of website youre dealing with. Podcasts are becoming a much more popular digital medium today. My source is recent enough to contain up-to-date information on my topic. What is the difference between a scholarly and a popular source? Do you recognize the source? There are several ways of determining if an author is credible depending on the type of source. However, unlike encyclopedias, Wikipedia pages can be edited by anyone, which means that sometimes the information stated is not reliable and is edited for the sake of making a joke (see example below). Evaluating source credibility is an important information literacy skill. Academic dishonesty can be intentional or unintentional, ranging from something as simple as claiming to have read something you didnt to copying your neighbors answers on an exam. However, if you are researching the Peloponnesian War, a source from 200 years ago would be reasonable to refer to. The former describes the acts in terms of the law (an objective source) whereas the second example judges the actions according to the author's own belief of what is a despicable act. If a source does not pass the above guidelines, it does not mean that the information contained within is false. Non-scholarly books might deal with scholarly subject matter sociology, for example, or politics. Common evaluation criteria include: purpose and intended audience, authority and credibility, accuracy and reliability, currency and timeliness, and objectivity or bias. A good argument should be based on analysis and critique, and there should be a logical relationship between evidence and conclusions. These sites may include lecture materials and interpretation of sources. If a bibliographic citation seems promising, it's a good idea to spend a bit more time with the source before you determine its credibility. The CRAAP test is a catchy acronym that will help you evaluate the credibility of a source you are thinking about using. Its possible to find many news articles online, both from digital newspapers and websites that post news articles. Students understand the importance of critically assessing a source's credibility. Google Apps. When examining online news articles, find out what you can about the organization behind the articles. For example, if you were to search How to change a flat tire in a search engine, you would most likely get how-to videos and pages, rather than someone selling their car on Craigslist, because the algorithm sorts the webpages based on the keywords you input. If you don't find your topic discussed, try searching for some synonyms in the Index. For example, there are on-line journals that utilize peer-review thus providing greater credibility to the publication. There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. For these reasons, they are typically considered credible sources. All rights reserved. by Let us discuss each criterion in detail. A fact is something that is known to be true. Transcript Need Help? Despite the large amount of information available, both in print and online, not all of it is valid, useful, or accurate. Relevance: Refers to the degree to which the information is related . During stressful times, most people lose their appetite Consider the tone, style, vocabulary, level of information, and assumptions the author makes about the reader. Evaluating Internet Resources Unlike similar information found in newspapers or television broadcasts, information available on the Internet is not regulated for quality or accuracy; therefore, it is particularly important for the individual Internet user to evaluate the resource or information. You can also consider using an academic database like LexisNexis or government open data to get started. If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. Note for Purdue Students: Schedule a consultation at the on-campus writing lab to get more in-depth writing help from one of our tutors. In this case, the lie is that there is a link between the websites students visit for writing help and their later susceptibility to criminal lifstyles. Secondly, you should think about bias. We are constantly surrounded by information, and it is not always easy to know which sources to trust. Use it to try out great new products and services nationwide without paying full pricewine, food delivery, clothing and more. The test focuses on five key aspects that can indicate the quality of a source and includes questions to ask of a source to evaluate its quality. In general, check for vague terms, buzzwords, or writing that is too emotive or subjective. I have checked that it is supported by evidence and/or verifiable elsewhere. CRAAP test Currency The timeliness of the information. Communication & Mass Media Complete. To ensure you include only valid information in your research, evaluate your sources using the criteria below. Conclusions that describe something as "bad or good" or "right or wrong" should be examined critically. If you are going to use the Internet as your main source for information, beware! For example, some websites are known for being more left-wing or right-wing. If at all possible, look for that same information from a peer-reviewed source, rather than a professors personal .edu source. Use this checklist to determine if an article is credible or not: Be aware of any credibility scandals that may have befallen even well-established academics. "I found this very helpful in gathering resources to help my middle school students determine online credibility! Legitimate OERs can be a great resource. This means that the sources you reference need to be credible and authoritative. Possible consequences include misinformation of yourself and others by trusting the claims of a source that might not be reliable, and damage to your own writing reputation. Scholarly books are often published by university presses (Amherst College Press) and professional associations (American Historical Association), whereas non-scholarly articles are published by commercial publishers (Houghton Mifflin). This will give you an overview of the source. How does the source engage with them? Are the journals policies on copyright and peer review easily available? All rights reserved. There are no glaring grammatical or orthographic errors. Rather than taking these figures at face value, you decide to determine the accuracy of the sources claims by cross-checking them with official statistics such as census reports and figures compiled by the Department of Homeland Securitys Office of Immigration Statistics. Like other encyclopedias, Wikipedia can provide valuable information about certain topics. Both National Geographicand TEDuse .com domain extension, despite the fact that theyre large organizations. Teen Tech University. Because clickbait sources exist simply to promote webpages, they are not considered credible sources. Use information from a textbook only for the background information necessary to build the foundation for your more innovative argument. Your assignment might have parameters on format and medium, but . A high number of Cited By results can often be a measurement of credibility. This material may not be published, reproduced, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without permission. Because of this cross-checking process, the articles you find in databases will usually be more reliable than sources you might find simply by looking for them using a search engine. This stands for: [For academic journals]: My source is peer-reviewed and published in a reputable and established journal. Consider your audience and compare with a variety of sources. Our daily routine and habits determine what we eat but not when we eat. You need to make sure the source is accurate and credible. What is the credibility of secondary sources? Purdue OWL is a registered trademark. Some databases contain a broader field of information, while some are narrower. Understanding which articles are clickbait helps you evaluate your sources for credibility. 2015. Does the information come from an author or organization that has authority to speak on your topic? Answer (1 of 5): Sources are the foundations not only of journalism but humanity itself. Revised on Websites If using an article or blog on a website, read the reference list (if available) Look at the "About Us" section of the website to find out more about the website's author (s), affiliations, submission and editorial process, etc. How does the author situate their argument in the field? Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our terms and conditions of fair use. If you use one of these in your research, it is probably a primary source. Note for Purdue Students: Schedule a consultation at the on-campus writing lab to get more in-depth writing help from one of our tutors. Last Updated: December 13, 2022 The sources you use are an important component of your research. To evaluate a source's critical reception: Check in the library's book and film review databases t o get a sense of how a source was received in the popular and scholarly press. Is it a respected publication? By the 1980s and 90s, the majority of linguists had come to embrace African American Vernacular English as a distinct dialectical variation of American English with its own patterned grammatical structures and diction. If a bibliographic citation seems promising, its a good idea to spend a bit more time with the source before you determine its credibility. Remember, anyone can publish information on the Internet. As you examine each source, it is important to evaluate each source to determine the quality of the information provided within it. Copyright 1995-2018 by The Writing Lab & The OWL at Purdue and Purdue University. 2015. 3) Currency. % of people told us that this article helped them. Websites with some sort of commercial aspect end in .com (or .co.uk, or another country-specific domain). Coverage (relevance): Consider whether the source is relevant to your research and whether it covers the topic adequately for your . If credentials are not listed, that does not mean that the author has no expertise, but it does make it hard for you to evaluate whether he/she/they do and that means the sources may not be appropriate for college level research. {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/b\/b7\/Evaluate-the-Credibility-of-a-Source-Step-3-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Evaluate-the-Credibility-of-a-Source-Step-3-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/b\/b7\/Evaluate-the-Credibility-of-a-Source-Step-3-Version-2.jpg\/aid368290-v4-728px-Evaluate-the-Credibility-of-a-Source-Step-3-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"