Credible Sources

Credible Sources

by Mrs. Waller

​Objective & Standard

​SWBAT accurately determine the credibility of sources.

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​Standard:

​CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.9-10.8 Gather relevant information from multiple authoritative print and digital sources, using advanced searches effectively; assess the usefulness of each source in answering the research question; integrate information into the text selectively to maintain the flow of ideas, avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

​Credible Definition

​Adjective

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​Believable or convincing.

​Synonyms:

Reliable, Trustworthy, Dependable

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​A credible witness can be the deciding factor in many court cases.

Multiple Choice

Reliable sources are always the first Google result.

• True
• False

​Test every source for CRAAP.

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​Knowing this information will help you to determine the credibility of a source.

Currency

• No, not $$$

• When considering if you should use a source, determine how CURRENT the information is

• If you are writing an essay about climate change, for example, using a source from 2002 may not have the best information available.

Open Ended

How can using old information cause a problem with your research?

Relevance

• Ask yourself "What does this really have to do with my topic?"

• ​How can this information be used to prove my claim?

• If you are writing about climate change and your source is about the habits of polar bears, it may not be exactly relevant to your topic

• There are many sources out there... be patient and look for the one with the BEST information

Multiple Choice

Which of the following would be most relevant to a claim about problems in education?

• A tweet about spirit week activities

• A report on student test score and graduation trends

• A blog where a parent explains what is wrong with the school administration

• A Wikipedia entry on your school.

Accuracy

• This can be the most difficult to determine

• Consider...

  • what references does the author provide?

  • Is there a list of citations?

  • Do they quote authoritative sources?

• Also...

  • Do you notice the same fact confirmed in multiple sources?

    • This would indicate that the information is likely true (although this is not enough to cite the source).

Multiple Choice

One way to check the accuracy of the content is to 

• Check wikipedia 
• Cross check the information with other credible sources 
• Ask a friend if it looks right 

Authority

• Before you trust the information provided by an author... ask yourself:

  • What credibility does the author have?

    • Do they have a degree?

    • Are they a published author on the topic?

    • Do they have experience in the relevant field?

• If the author does not have these things...

  • Do they cite people who have the above?

Multiple Choice

How can you tell if an author is credible?

• They have a college degree.

• They publish their credentials (qualifications)

• They have their own website.

• There is no way to tell this information.

Purpose

• To be absolutely sure that your source is to be trusted, consider what the purpose of the source is.

• Many websites are meant to entertain or to advertise.

• You should search for sources whose purpose is to educate/inform.

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is a clue that the source is NOT reliable?

• date of last update is given
• .gov
• author is listed
• lots of advertising

Possible resources for academic research:

• Most credible:

  • library databases

  • peer-reviewed journals

    Encyclopedias

  • University resources

  • Documentaries or videos featuring credible people

  • Government websites

  • Historical societies

  • Museum websites

Multiple Choice

Choose the one that is NOT a reliable source.

• Newspaper

• Book

• Organization website

• Customer review

Multiple Choice

Checking an author's credentials is a part of which CRAAP criteria?

• Currency

• Reliability

• Authoritiy

• Purpose

Multiple Choice

Which of the following is NOT an important part of evaluating a website? 

• expert author
• current information
• how many people use the website
• it is relevant to my topic

Multiple Choice

Checking for bias ties into which of the five CRAAP criteria?

• Currency

• Reliability

• Authority

• Purpose