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RHE 309S: Success and Failure / Sahinler

Evaluate Sources

Evaluate Sources

Evaluate every source, no matter how you found it, using these guidelines:

Credibility: 
Who is the author? Is he/she an expert on the subject, a representative from a credible organization, a columnist for a newspaper? What gives the author authority to represent that side of the controversy?  (ex: US Secretary of Commerce? A lawyer? A reporter for a student newspaper?)

TIP: If there is no information on the author, try a web search on that person and the publication

Bias: 
Does the source (newspaper, magazine, web site) generally lean to one side of controversies (examples: liberal vs. conservative; free market economics vs. government regulated economy)?

Evidence:
How is the author supporting her claims? Can you find this information elsewhere to confirm its accuracy and credibility?

Currency: 
Are you considering the most up to date research on your topic?

Would we use these as sources in our paper?

As we read through these articles, one by one, we will be focusing on the following questions:

  • What kind of image is the author trying to build about Emily or her world?

  • Who is the author and what expertise do they have?

  • Where does the author get their information/evidence?

  • Would you use this as a source in your bib?

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