Source Credibility

Think, Pair, Share:

What signs indicate that a source
is credible?

? ?
What signs indicate that a source
is not credible?
A Source is Credible if…
…it is written by someone with a good
reputation in the field in which they are writing.
For example, we assume a book about
Beethoven is credible if it is written by a Music
History professor from a university.

Additionally, a source is more credible if it has

been peer-reviewed. This means that other
scholars/experts on the topic have read and
approved the piece of writing, confirming that
it is good.
 5 Questions
To Check if a Source is Credible:

#1) Who published it?

#2) Who wrote it?
#3) Why did they write it?
#4) When was it written?
#5) Who is the intended
audience of the source?
 #1) Who published it?
Organizations and companies publish texts. If it was published
by an educational organization, you can assume it is credible.
If it was published by a university press, professional society,
scientific publisher, or a peer-reviewed journal, it is credible. If
it was published by an individual person, you need to seriously
question the authority that person has on the topic they are
writing about. Always check to see if the source you are using
has a sponsor (an organization that pays them to promote
something). If the publisher has a sponsor, be aware of the
bias that sponsorship will create. Ask yourself: is there an
organization that is in charge of this site’s content, or that funds
the site’s operation?
 #2) Who WROTE it?
The author is the person who actually wrote the text. Is the
author affiliated with a university or another institution? What is
the author's education level? Has the author written many other
works on the same topic? Has the author's work been cited by
other professionals before? If so, the author is credible. You
can do an online search of the author's name to help you
decide if he/she is a credible source. Online, some sites have
only one author, while others have many authors who may or
may not use their real names. Some sites have no obvious
author – their content may be written by a number of people
who do not get authorship credit. It’s generally best not to trust
any information you find on the Internet until you can at least
determine who wrote it.
 #3) Why was it written?
Every author has a purpose for writing a text, and every
organization has a purpose for publishing a text. Try and see if
you can infer both of these purposes. Is the purpose to inform
and explain about something? To evaluate and judge
something? To analyze and interpret something? To argue in
favor or against something? To convince you of something? To
entertain people? To make you feel a certain emotion? To
represent and reflect reality? To advertise and promote
something? To make money?
These are not only purposes that exist…when you look at a text
or at a website in general, try to see if you can use context
clues to find the purpose behind it.
 #4) When was it written?
If the text is old, it might contain information that is no longer
agreed-upon. In some disciplines, material can become
outdated very swiftly. In others, texts can continue to be
considered valuable for longer periods of time. Always search
to see if there is a more recent interpretation of the information
you are reading. If you have an article that seems old, search
to see if other authors (including recent ones) still widely agree
with the information stated in that article. In general, if the text
is over ten years old, you should check to make sure the ideas
in the text are still accurate and relevant by comparing it to
more recent texts on the same topic.
 #5) Intended Audience?
If the audience is academic in nature, your source is more
credible. If the audience is something like fundamentalist
Mormon housewives or Neo-nazi activists, there will be an
evident bias in the writing that renders it less credible. Several
factors can lead to bias, such as the religion, political affiliation,
geography, or nationality of the author or publisher. To help
determine if your source is too biased for use, consider the
author, the audience, the tone, and the word choice of the
writing. For example, if your source refers to ISIS as "freedom
fighters" instead of terrorists, you should be able to detect the
bias of the author. Even if the author or publisher is credible and
the source is created by an educational organization, consider
the intended age of the audience as well: if the text is written for
young children, the information will be over-simplified (and over-
simplification can lead to errors).
 URLs Provide a Clue:
.com usually means the owner is a commercial entity
(for-profit organization).
.org tends to be owned by a nonprofit organization.
.net is a network (for instance, an Internet service
provider).
.gov is a government owned website, and can only
be owned by an official government.
.mil is a government military website, and can only
be owned by the military.
.edu is an educational organization, and can only be
owned by an official educational organization.
 URLs Provide a Clue:
.com usually means the owner is a commercial entity
(for-profit organization).
.org tends to be owned by a nonprofit organization.
.net is a network (for instance, an Internet service
provider).
.gov is a government owned website,
In practice, and
anyone can can only
purchase
be owned by an official
a .com, government.
.org or .net domain name, and
individuals often buy a .org or .net domain
.mil is a government military website, and can only
when their preferred .com is not available.
be owned by the Notmilitary.
all .coms are commercial, but, all large
commercial
.edu is an educational organizations
organization, andwillcan
have .com
only be
addresses.
owned by an official educational organization.
 URLs Provide a Clue:Information on a .gov or .mil site has the
backing of the government or the military.
It may be difficult to find a single author for
.com usually means the owner is a commercial entity
these sites. This does not necessarily mean
(for-profit organization).
that information on these sites is true, but
.org tends to be itowned
does mean
by athat the information
nonprofit reflects
organization.
the views of the government or military in
.net is a network (for instance,aan Internet service
country.
provider).
.gov is a government owned website, and can only
be owned by an official government.
.mil is a government military website, and can only
be owned by the military.
.edu is an educational organization, and can only be
owned by an official educational organization.
 URLs Provide a Clue:
.com usually means the owner is a commercial entity
(for-profit organization).
.org tends to beKeep
owned by that
in mind a nonprofit
students organization.
and faculty can
both have personal Web sites with .edu
.net is a network (for instance, an Internet service
extensions, so be aware of whether the site
provider). is an official school Web site, or a personal
site! Personal
.gov is a government owned sites will oftenand
website, have theonly
can user’s
name
be owned by an official government. in the URL.

.mil is a government military website, and can only

be owned by the military.
.edu is an educational organization, and can only be
owned by an official educational organization.
Wikipedia:
The credibility of Wikipedia articles is often debated. You
will have college professors who will allow you to use it, and
others who will not.

Reasons Why Wikipedia is Not Credible:

1. The authors are anonymous, and anyone can edit
Wikipedia articles. You have no way of knowing if the
author is an expert in their field.
2. Administrators on Wikipedia have the power to delete
or disallow comments or articles they disagree with and
support the viewpoints they approve. In 2003, one
administrator banned more than 2,000 contributors with
opinions that opposed his own.
Wikipedia:
The credibility of Wikipedia articles is often debated. You
will have college professors who will allow you to use it, and
others who will not.

Reasons Why Wikipedia is Not Credible:

3. “Vandalism” of articles occurs, and can go
undetected for months. People can add false information
or change information to make it inaccurate.

4. The number of Wikipedia articles is growing, but the

number of official editors is shrinking. This means that
less peer-review of articles is happening, and the editors
are becoming less diverse.
Wikipedia:
The credibility of Wikipedia articles is often debated. You
will have college professors who will allow you to use it, and
others who will not.

Reasons Why Wikipedia is Not Credible:

5. Wikipedia tells us not to trust them! Wikipedia says,
“We do not expect you to trust us.” It adds that it is “not a
primary source” and that “because some articles may
contain errors,” you should “not use Wikipedia to make
critical decisions.” Finally, “Users should be aware that
not all articles are of encyclopedic quality from the start:
they may contain false or debatable information.”
Wikipedia:
However, Wikipedia is an AWESOME starting point for your
research! Read a Wikipedia article to get an overview of
your topic, then, use the sources and links at the bottom of
the page to find some credible sources:
Wikipedia:
Also, some Wikipedia articles are better than others.

Star Icon Means you are reading a “featured article.” These are the
best articles on Wikipedia, and are chosen for accuracy,
neutrality, completeness, and formatting.

Green Plus Sign

Means you are reading a “good article.” These are not
quite good enough to be called featured articles.

Gold Padlock Means you are reading a “locked protected” article. These
are the only articles that can’t be automatically edited by
Wikipedia users! All edits must be approved by Wikipedia
staff before becoming live on the page.

Any Other Color Padlock Means the page is semi-protected, which in most cases
still means that any Wikipedia user can edit the page,
and the changes will become immediately live.
 5 Questions
To Check if a Source is Credible:

#1) Who published it?

#2) Who wrote it?
#3) Why did they write it?
#4) When was it written?
#5) Who is the intended
audience of the source?
 Activity
Pick out the most credible and least credible websites
from this list. Discuss with a neighbor.

http://blackholeresearch.blogspot.com

http://www.blackholeresearch.gov

http://www.columbia.edu/blackholeresearch

http://www.columbia.edu/
blackholeresearch/martin_green

http://www.blackholeresearch.com