Let\u2019s imagine that you\u2019re writing a paper on a controversial topic. It can be anything, but for the purpose of this illustration, let\u2019s imagine you\u2019re writing a paper about marijuana and if it should or should not be legalized. In your paper, you are arguing either for or against the legalization of marijuana, but we don\u2019t have to choose one or the other in this scenario. You\u2019re starting your research to back up your thesis, and you need to find some credible sources. As you look online you find three different articles that look appealing. (For the purpose of this example, I made up the sources below!) <\/p>\n
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- An article called \u201cMarijuana Ruined My Life\u201d by Bobby Cavendish on the website: ihatemarijuana.com.<\/li>\n
- An article called \u201c2016 Recreational Drug Usage Report\u201d by Haley Stein, and published by the Institute of Medicine (U.S.).<\/li>\n
- An article called \u201cThe Medical Benefits of Marijuana: Why I Smoke it Every day\u201d by Sarah Washington on the website: 4204all.com\/blazeit.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
At face-value, analyze these sources. So which source would you choose and why would you choose it? <\/p>\n
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- \u201cMarijuana Ruined My Life\u201d by Bobby Cavendish and \u201cThe Medical Benefits of Marijuana: Why I Smoke it Every day\u201d would probably not be your best bets for many reasons.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
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- The titles of the articles may not seem indicative of a bias at first. Often times, it\u2019s hard to tell the difference between a source that takes a particular stance or has a particular argument vs. a source that is biased. There\u2019s nothing wrong with a source that expresses a personal belief\/opinion and uses personal experience. Sometimes, it\u2019s even a good idea to use sources that express an opinion! However, it often times depends on what you\u2019re writing about. For example, if you\u2019re writing a final paper for a literature course, you wouldn\u2019t want to use a blog post called \u201c10 Reasons Why I Loved Frankenstein!\u201d. Instead, you would want to use an objective source that offers more substantial information. However, there\u2019s a fine line between a credible source with a strong argument and a non-credible biased source. This is why it\u2019s a good idea to examine both the title of the source and where it comes from before actually engaging with the text.<\/li>\n
- So, maybe the titles are just indicative of the authors\u2019 stances, and not just biased. Next, you can analyze where the source comes from; in this case, ihatemarijuana.com and 4204all.com\/blazeit. There are a few reasons why these websites seem problematic. For example, these websites aren\u2019t traditional reliable sources because they\u2019re unknown websites, (in comparison to other well-known websites like CNN, Forbes, HuffPost, etc.) and they don\u2019t have a URL ending that indicates it\u2019s from a credible source, like .org, .edu, .gov., etc. Furthermore, the URLs, like the titles, seem to express the authors\u2019 strong opinions (Cavendish hates marijuana and Washington loves it) and this could mean that the sources are biased.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
<\/p>\n
Out of the three choices I made up, your best bet would most likely be the \u201c2016 Recreational Drug Usage Report\u201d because it comes from a certified source, the U.S Institute of Medicine, and because the other two sources seem biased and do not come from trustworthy sources. Let\u2019s imagine that you weren\u2019t sure which option to choose by just analyzing the title of the article and the website name\u2014 it happens sometimes! The next thing you would want to do is take a closer look at the articles to see if they are credible.<\/p>\n
Now, after all of this, you\u2019re probably wondering what the point is. In the grand scheme of things, why does it matter if sources are credible or non-credible? Well, it all has to do with your own credibility as a student and<\/em> as a writer!<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/unccwrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/726\/2017\/07\/trek.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nIf you write a paper and use sources that aren\u2019t credible, can readers really trust you? For example, let\u2019s imagine that you read an article online via the New York Times or Forbes or something like that. The article was well-written, had some awesome points, and you learned some really interesting things from it. However, you later found out some of those things weren\u2019t true at all. Would you be confused? If some of the things weren\u2019t true, who\u2019s to say that there weren\u2019t more false claims in the article? Would you be surprised or angry that you wasted time believing the things that the article claimed? This example is hyperbolic to say the least, but it also illustrates just how important credible sources are! Without credible sources, the foundation of your central thesis or argument could begin to crumble, and without a thesis or argument, how can your paper then be successful?<\/p>\n
Overall, I\u2019ve briefly highlighted the importance of credible sources. Like I said before, practice makes perfect, so don\u2019t be discouraged if you find it hard to distinguish credible and non-credible sources at first! Remember to always question your sources and that will definitely help you as you work. Also, if you need further reference, feel free to check out some of the amazing sources below!<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/pages.charlotte.edu\/unccwrc\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/726\/2017\/07\/sam.png\")
<\/a><\/p>\n–Katherine<\/p>\n
Resources Consulted:<\/p>\n
http:\/\/library.ucsc.edu\/help\/research\/evaluate-the-quality-and-credibility-of-your-sources<\/a><\/p>\n
https:\/\/owl.english.purdue.edu\/owl\/resource\/553\/01\/<\/a><\/p>\n
https:\/\/owl.english.purdue.edu\/owl\/resource\/553\/02\/<\/a><\/p>\n
http:\/\/isites.harvard.edu\/icb\/icb.do?keyword=k70847&tabgroupid=icb.tabgroup107786<\/a><\/p>\n
https:\/\/digitalliteracy.cornell.edu\/tutorial\/dpl3221.html<\/a><\/p>\n
https:\/\/www.lib.ncsu.edu\/tutorials\/evaluating-sources\/<\/a><\/p>\n
http:\/\/guides.lib.berkeley.edu\/evaluating-resources<\/a><\/p>\n
http:\/\/guides.library.jhu.edu\/c.php?g=202581&p=1334914<\/a><\/p>\n
- \u201cMarijuana Ruined My Life\u201d by Bobby Cavendish and \u201cThe Medical Benefits of Marijuana: Why I Smoke it Every day\u201d would probably not be your best bets for many reasons.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n