SCI 207

Evaluating Credible and Scholarly Scientific Sources

The purpose of this assignment is to help you distinguish between different types of information sources and evaluate sources of information for credibility. Scientists and scholars use information from a variety of sources, some of them scholarly journal articles that have been 

peer-reviewed (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

, and others credible websites, magazines, and news sources.  While all scholarly sources are considered credible, most credible sources you will encounter in your daily life are not actually scholarly.  It is important to view information with a critical eye, as there is a lot of misinformation from bunk sources out there.  If you do not believe this, just navigate to Google in your Internet browser, type in the words, “We never went to the Moon”, and see what you find.  Did you know that the Moon may be made of cheese?  Exactly what kind, however, remains a mystery (Uncyclopedia.wikia.com, 2016).

In order to complete this assignment, you will need to follow the links provided on the

Week Two Assignment Reporting Form

to view three numbered sources.  For each source, complete a two-page questionnaire.  When you have finished, you will have identified which of three sources is not credible, which sources are credible, and which source is also scholarly. 

Once you have completed the required sections within the Week Two Assignment Reporting Form submit the document via Waypoint. The document does not need to include a title page or other APA formatting; however, if you utilize any outside sources in your answers, you must reference these sources in proper APA format as outlined in the Ashford Writing Center.

Uncyclopedia.wikia.com (2016). Is the Moon made of cheese? Retrieved from 

http://uncyclopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Is_the_moon_made_of_cheese%3F (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site.

 

Evaluating Credible and Scholarly Scientific Sources

Week Two Assignment

In this assignment, you will examine three different sources – one source that would be considered scholarly, one source that is credible but not scholarly, and one source that would not be considered credible for use in an academic paper. After completing a worksheet on each source, can you identify which is which?

Instructions

When looking up various scientific topics, including the example topic this week on technology and food production in the U.S., you will find all kinds of information out there. Not all of it is reliable. In order to determine if a source provides credible information, you will need to take the time to evaluate that source first before you can trust its content. Who is the intended audience of the source? Who is the author or publisher and what is their purpose for publishing the resource? These are examples of the questions you will want to ask yourself when evaluating a source.

Examine these three sources and fill out the following worksheet for each one. You will be determining what type of source it is (scholarly, credible non-scholarly, and non-credible), its level of credibility, and its possible value or use within the scientific conversation about technology and agriculture in the U.S.

To help you determine the credibility of a source, refer this quick video tutorial on

Evaluating Sources for Credibility.

Additionally, consult the strategies outlined in the  

CRAAP TEST

. Keep in mind that you are evaluating the sources themselves and not the content within the source, or whether you agree with the positions or statements that are expressed within the source. Please write your answers in complete sentences.

Source Links

Source #1:

http://www.saynotogmos.org/

Source #2:

http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0064879

Source #3:

https://www.loc.gov/law/help/restrictions-on-gmos/usa.php

Source #1

1. What best describes the information within this source (choose all that apply):

|_|

Formal report of a study or academic analysis of an issue

|_| Fact sheet / data / statistics

|_| News

|_| Government or organizational website

|_| Opinion piece: expert? Journalist? amateur?

|_| Anecdote / personal experience

|_| Propaganda

What led you to choose this answer? Provide evidence or examples from the text.  

     

0. Currency: For this topic, is the information…

|_| Up to date

|_| Outdated

|_| Not sure (explain):      

0. The purpose of the information is to:

|_| Inform

|_| Persuade

|_| Entertain

|_| Sell

|_| Other:      

What led you to choose this answer? Provide evidence or examples from the text.  

     

0. Does the author provide reliable evidence to back up his or her assertions? How do you know? (Tip: Look for references within the text or presented as a list. Ask yourself if the references are formally formatted and if they add weight and credibility to the discussion.)

     

0. Who published this source?  

|_| The author himself/herself |_| An academic journal

|_| A magazine |_|A professional organization

|_| A government entity |_| Other(explain):      

0. The point of view of this source seems to be

|_| Objective and impartial

|_| Biased

How did you make this determination? Provide a specific example from the source.

     

0. Authority: What is/are the author(s)’s credentials? Does he or she have college degrees?

Experience related to the topic? A job in the field? Previously published work in this area?

     

0. Based on the information above, do you feel the target audience for this source is or could be an

academic one? Why or why not?

     

9. Based solely on the information you have learned about this source, and not its content, do you

think this is a credible source? Explain why or why not.

     

10. In my opinion this source is…

|_| Scholarly

|_| Non-scholarly and credible

|_| Non-scholarly and not credible

Source #2

1. What best describes the information within this source (choose all that apply):

|_| Formal report of a study or academic analysis of an issue

|_| Fact sheet / data / statistics
|_| News
|_| Government or organizational website
|_| Opinion piece: expert? Journalist? amateur?
|_| Anecdote / personal experience
|_| Propaganda
What led you to choose this answer? Provide evidence or examples from the text.  
     

2. Currency: For this topic, is the information…

|_| Up to date
|_| Outdated
|_| Not sure (explain):      

3. The purpose of the information is to:

|_| Inform
|_| Persuade
|_| Entertain
|_| Sell
|_| Other:      
What led you to choose this answer? Provide evidence or examples from the text.  
     

4. Does the author provide reliable evidence to back up his or her assertions? How do you know? Tip: Look for references within the text or presented as a list. Ask yourself if the references are formally formatted and if they add weight and credibility to the discussion.)

     

5. Who published this source?  

|_| The author himself/herself |_| An academic journal
|_| A magazine |_|A professional organization
|_| A government entity |_| Other(explain):      

6. The point of view of this source seems to be

|_| Objective and impartial
|_| Biased
How did you make this determination? Provide a specific example from the source.
     

7. Authority: What is/are the author(s)’s credentials? Does he or she have college degrees?

Experience related to the topic? A job in the field? Previously published work in this area?
     

8. Based on the information above, do you feel the target audience for this source is or could be an

academic one? Why or why not?
     

9. Based solely on the information you have learned about this source, and not its content, do you
think this is a credible source? Explain why or why not.

     

10. In my opinion this source is…
|_| Scholarly
|_| Non-scholarly and credible
|_| Non-scholarly and not credible

Source #3

1. What best describes the information within this source (choose all that apply):
|_| Formal report of a study or academic analysis of an issue
|_| Fact sheet / data / statistics
|_| News
|_| Government or organizational website
|_| Opinion piece: expert? Journalist? amateur?
|_| Anecdote / personal experience
|_| Propaganda
What led you to choose this answer? Provide evidence or examples from the text.  
     

2. Currency: For this topic, is the information…

|_| Up to date
|_| Outdated
|_| Not sure (explain):      

3. The purpose of the information is to:

|_| Inform
|_| Persuade
|_| Entertain
|_| Sell
|_| Other:      
What led you to choose this answer? Provide evidence or examples from the text.  
     

4. Does the author provide reliable evidence to back up his or her assertions? How do you know? ( Tip: Look for references within the text or presented as a list. Ask yourself if the references are formally formatted and if they add weight and credibility to the discussion.)

     

5. Who published this source?  
|_| The author himself/herself |_| An academic journal
|_| A magazine |_|A professional organization
|_| A government entity |_| Other(explain):      

6. The point of view of this source seems to be
|_| Objective and impartial
|_| Biased
How did you make this determination? Provide a specific example from the source.
     

7. Authority: What is/are the author(s)’s credentials? Does he or she have college degrees?
Experience related to the topic? A job in the field? Previously published work in this area?
     

8. Based on the information above, do you feel the target audience for this source is or could be an
academic one? Why or why not?
     

9. Based solely on the information you have learned about this source, and not its content, do you

think this is a credible source? Explain why or why not.

     

10. In my opinion this source is…

|_| Scholarly
|_| Non-scholarly and credible
|_| Non-scholarly and not credible