Credibility
Trustworthy, reliable.
Credible sources are generally understood to
be accurate and reliable sources of information, free from unfair bias.
See the evaluation criteria below for help with determining
credibility.
Use the criteria below to help you evaluate a
source. As you do, remember:
· Each criterion should be considered in the
context of your topic or information need. For example,
currency changes if you are working on a current event vs. a historical
topic.
· Weigh all four criteria when making your
decision. For example, the information may appear accurate, but if the
authority is suspect you may want to find a more authoritative site for your
information.
· When in doubt about a source, talk about it
with your professor or a librarian.
Criteria to consider:
1.Currency: When was the information published
or last updated? Is it current enough for your topic?
2.Relevance: Is this the type of information you
need (ex. a research study or scholarly article)? Is it related to your topic?
Is it detailed enough to help you answer questions on your topic?
3.Authority: Who is the author or creator
of the information (can be an individual or an organization)? Are they an
expert on your topic? Has the source been peer reviewed? Who is the publisher?
Are they reputable?
4.Accuracy: Is the information true? What
information does the author cite or refer to? Is this a research study
with methods you can follow? Can you find this information anywhere else?
Can you find evidence to back it up from another resource? Are studies
mentioned but not cited (this would be something to check on)? Can you locate
those studies?
5.Purpose/perspective: What is the purpose of
the information? Was it written to sell something or to convince you of
something? Is this fact or opinion based? Is it unfairly biased?
Bias
Inclination, leaning, prejudice,
predisposition
A biased source is one in which the creator
has a view of the issue at hand that had an effect on how they created the
source. From the synonyms above, you can see that this can be to a small or
large degree. Everyone has biases, and someone with a bias can still write a
worthwhile source, but it is up to you to consider how much of a bias is
present. Be aware of the biases inherent when an organization has a legislative
agenda or is trying to sell something.
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EXAMPLES
from the Skye Gould/Business Insider
"At the first presidential debate September 26, Clinton brought up her and Trump's differences on climate change. Here's how the exchange unfolded: CLINTON: Some country is going to be the clean- energy superpower of the 21st century. Donald thinks that climate change is a hoax perpetrated by the Chinese. I think it's real. TRUMP: I did not. I did not. I do not say that. CLINTON: I think science is real. TRUMP: I do not say that. As many news organizations pointed out after the debate, Trump tweeted in 2012 that "The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing non-competitive."The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 6, 2012 He has tweeted dozens of times about how he does not accept the overwhelming scientific evidence that climate change is real. You can read all of his tweets that have mentioned "climate change" or "global warming" here. Trump wants to dismantle the Paris Agreement that sets targets to reverse the worst effects of global warming, which nearly 200 countries agreed to last December."
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Evaluate the accuracy and bias of this paragraph and the sites cited in this paragraph. For each of the sites below, rate the accuracy from 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest. Add a sentence or two to explain your evaluation.
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[1] THIS PARAGRAPH: http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-climate-change-global-warming-environment-policies-plans-platforms-2016-10
[2] "many news organizations pointed out" http://www.politico.com/blogs/2016-presidential-debate-fact-check/2016/09/fact-trump-claimed-climate-change-is-a-hoax-created-by-china-228711
[3] "here":
https://twitter.com/search?q=climate%2C+OR+warming+from%3Arealdonaldtrump&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
[4] "overwhelming scientific evidence that climate change is real":
http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-clinton-climate-change-warming-2016-9
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