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Assignment | Argumentative Project (Okai): Picking Your Sources

ENGL 1302 | Prof. Maria Okai (Fall 2024)

Questions to Ask Yourself

There a dozens of acronyms and checklists and methods for evaluating sources. They all add up to one goal, though: helping you make an informed decision about...

Is this source worth listening to?


Who created this information?

Is there a named author? Is it published by a reputable organization?

Or is it unclear or unknown?


What does that creator know?

Do they have any relevant credentials?

Are they discussing their area of expertise?

Are citations provided?


Does the creator have an agenda?

They can have a point of view without being biased!

Is the message crafted to get an emotional response?

Is data cherry-picked?


What else have they made?

Is there a topic specialization?

Can you pick up on a recurring tone? Or recurring point of view?


Is it timely?

Is there a published or modified date?

Is your topic time-sensitive? (Is this important info?)


Specific enough?

Starting your research? Overviews are okay.

Otherwise, seek deeper dives. Use multiple sources to get a look from many angles.


Good enough, or good?

A source doesn't have to be WRONG for us to skip it -- it can just not be trustworthy enough.


What's YOUR agenda?

It's easy to poke holes when we disagree with something.

Did you go easier on a source because it agreed with you?

Evaluating Information

The CRAAP Test

Evaluate your source's...

 

CRAAP test factors: Currency, Relevance, Accuracy, Authority, Purpose

Also, The Three Rs

Is your source
Recent? Reliable? Relevant?

Is this source up-to-date? Is it about my topic, and does it go into enough depth? Does it come from an authoritative source? Is the information accurate (and are there citations given to back it up)? And why was this information written in the first place?