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Thinking Critically about Information: Reliability. Kevin Klipfel, Information Literacy Coordinator , California State University, Chico. [email protected]. Thinking Critically About Sources. Is this source r eliable? Is this the best source for my current purposes?. - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
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THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT INFORMATION: RELIABILITY
Kevin Klipfel, Information Literacy Coordinator, California State University, Chico. [email protected]
Thinking Critically About Sources Is this source reliable? Is this the best source for my current
purposes?
Scholarly vs. “Popular” SourcesStyle “Popular” Articles “Scholarly” ArticlesWritten by? Non-Experts
(Usually. For example, a newspaper or magazine reporter.)
Experts in the field(For example: a professor or research scientist.)
Written for? A general audience Other experts in the field
Written How? General, “Everyday” language
Technical, “Scholarly” language
Scholarly vs. “Popular” SourcesReliability “Popular” Articles “Scholarly” ArticlesEditorial Review? Limited – Non-expert Rigorous – “Peer
Reviewed” by other scholars
References? Not Usually – though sometimes the article will be based on scholarship that is mentioned in the article
Yes – most claims the author makes are explicitly verified through footnotes and citations
Trustworthy? It depends - look for articles based in scholarship)
Infallible? No. But pretty much as good as it gets
“Scholarly” Articles and Reliability Scholarly articles are typically preferred
for research because they’re the most likely to be reliable or trustworthy. You can easily verify what they say (with
footnotes, references, etc.). They provide empirical evidence for the
stuff they say (especially in the natural and social sciences).
They argue, using the rules of logic, for the stuff they say (especially in the humanities).
Other Types of Sources Other types of don’t necessarily do this:
Editorials may just express the options of an editor (without being backed by reasons and verifiable evidence).
Popular sources (like magazine articles) may not be peer reviewed and do not usually provide references.
Television and political pundits– how “scholarly” are they”?
Reliability Factors: Verifiability Verifiability: maybe the most important
criterion. Can I check (i.e. “verify”) what this author is
saying. Are they providing evidence for their claims. Are they arguing for their positions?
Is the evidence they use in support of their arguments good evidence?
Are their arguments logically sound?
Underlying question: Is the author merely stating their opinions or is there good reason to believe what they say?
Currency: Is this Source Relevant? How recent is the source? Have there been new breakthroughs on
this subject since my article has been written? If not, the article is probably current.
Reliability Factors: Pedigree Who wrote it?
What is the affiliation of the author? A university? Newspaper? Anonymous blogger?
Where does the article appear? Scholarly journal? Is it peer reviewed? Is it a
top journal in its field?
Pedigree: Top Journals
Is it Peer Reviewed? There’s no way to know for sure just by looking
at an article. The most sure way you can find out is by using
one of our library resources: Ulrich’s Web. With books, the best thing to do is see if it was
published by a reputable academic press (e.g., University of California, Oxford University Press, etc.).
If you’re having trouble figuring out if a book or an article is peer-reviewed, the best thing to do is ask a librarian.
Reliability: A Matter of Degree The best way to think of reliability is that
reliability falls on a continuum.
Tastiness … A Continuum.
Truly DeliciousLeast
PleasantThing Ever
Eating In-N-Out Burger!
PB & J
Eating Ramen. Every day. For 4 years.
Reliability … A Continuum.
Most ReliableLeast
Reliable Peer Reviewed
“Popular”Articles Based in Research
Articles Not Based in Research
Reliability Continuum … with examples.
Most ReliableLeast
Reliable Peer Reviewed
Articles Not Based in ResearchArticle from Top Journal in field
Article from OK Journal in field
Popular article citing lots of scientific studies
That Cosmo Article
Contact a Librarian And if you’re having any trouble
evaluating information, don’t forget to contact a librarian: we’re more than happy to help!
For questions about this module, or how to incorporate this module into specific courses, contact: Kevin Klipfel, Information Literacy Coordinator, California State University, Chico. Contact: [email protected]
