Assessing Source Credibility for Crafting a Well-Informed Argument
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Evaluating sources and critical reading go hand-in-hand. You read a
piece critically in order to understand it. You evaluate the same piece in
order to make an informed decision about “inviting” the writer to have a
conversation with you on a topic. Simply put, when evaluating, you “read
with an attitude” (Palmquist 49). The following advice might be useful:
Accept nothing at face value; ask questions about your topic; look for
similarities and differences in the source you read; examine the im-
plications of what you read for your research project;
be on the alert
for unusual information; and note relevant sources and information.
Most importantly, be open to ideas and arguments, even if you don’t
agree with them. Give them a chance to affect how you think about
the conversation you have decided to join. (Palmquist 53)
Okay, given the variety of sources and the virtual sea of information,
do you have to read and evaluate all sources in the same way? The short
answer is, “It depends.” The general rules of critical reading and evaluating
apply to the majority of sources. However, as more and more information
is posted on the Web, additional precautions are needed.
Let’s revisit, for a moment, the library setting. You have probably been
told that print materials collected by librarians have great advantages. They
are of a high quality because librarians review and carefully select books
and journals for the library to buy. Library collections are systematically
organized and cataloged. In case you are having trouble navigating the
collection, the library staff can help you find what you are looking for or
suggest where to look.
These are all good points. But libraries
and print materials do have
some disadvantages. Collections are limited by the physical space and the
budget. Libraries cannot buy all the books printed in the world nor can
they subscribe to all periodicals out there. They specialize in some subjects,
while collecting very basic materials in other fields. To find a movie that
came out, say, in the early 1940s, you might need to travel to a place that
holds a copy of it or use the interlibrary loan system and borrow it for a
short period of time.
Don’t online resources have an advantage here? Yes and no. When your
computer is connected to the Internet, you have a world of information at
your fingertips. Type in a search term, and hundreds,
if not thousands, of
documents appear on your screen in a split second. News that broke an
hour ago, game schedules, flight information, stock quotes, currency ex-
change rates, current temperature at your location, a list of courses offered
at your school next semester, a menu at a nearby restaurant—you can ac-
cess all that without leaving home.
Kate Warrington, Natasha Kovalyova, and Cindy King
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In addition to being conveniently accessible, online information comes
from a variety of sources that sometimes rival those in a library. Videos,
audio files, and images all reside on the Internet. Say you are writing about
global warming. In addition to scholarly journal articles, news briefs, en-
vironmental agencies’ reports, statistics, transcripts
of Congressional hear-
ings, activists’ blogs and discussion forums, a simple Google search can also
bring you videos, maps, PowerPoint presentations, and the like. To find all
those resources in one library would be very difficult, if not impossible.
The Web, however, has its own disadvantages. One particularly notable
concern is that because anyone can upload materials online, no one can be
assured of their quality. No trained staff is out there to assist you in sieving
through what you have pulled onto your screen. The sheer volume of in-
formation might be overwhelming, making you sometimes feel that there
exists nothing of value on your particular topic.
There is no shortage of materials—both online and in print—as you
have found by now. But which ones are good ones? To make that determi-
nation, it’s time to be as picky as possible, scrutinizing
the structure of their
argument (logos), their motives and agendas (ethos), and their fair use of
emotional appeals (pathos).
When you are writing a research paper, you will be expected to do pre-
cisely that, and more. You will also need to enter in a conversation with
your sources and respond to them rather than report what they are saying.
While your audience will, no doubt, benefit from knowing what experts
have said, they are reading your paper and are interested in hearing what
you have to say. Listen to what your sources say (that is,
read carefully
and critically) and try to understand their position. Then, agree or dis-
agree, draw parallels between their views and yours, ask questions and take
sides.
Translated onto a written page, your conversation will take the shape
of your quoting, paraphrasing, and summarizing. By doing so, you will
be contributing to the discussion with your own observations, questions,
comments, and concerns.
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