[MUSIC] Hi everyone. In this lesson, we're going to look at how to critically evaluate the sources we find in terms of their credibility. Critically evaluating the source of information that we find enables us to use this information in an informed and knowledgeable way. And, in a way that's appropriate for an academic context. Furthermore, it helps us to filter the vast amount of information that we find and assists us to focus in on important and relevant information. This is important for you in your studies. Because if a source is not reliable, you can't use it to support your ideas, or arguments in the academic context. So, how do we tell, if a source is reliable or not? There are a number of different factors that we need to consider. In this lesson, we'll cover six main factors. The first overarching factor is the purpose of the information or resource. In order for the information to be acceptable and reliable within the academic context, it needs to have a scholarly purpose. This means that the resource was written with the purpose of contributing to knowledge and written for an academic audience. Stebbins outlines the number of points that indicate the scholarly nature of a source. Some of these include the language used. Does it follow academic conventions? The length, generally academic resources will be a minimum of five to seven pages long. Reference list, inclusion of an extensive reference list or bibliography of credible sources. And some indication that research was done rather than just reporting events. An author and publisher that are considered authoritative, and, finally, reference to the resource in reference lists and bibliographies from other authoritative authors or researchers. Using these criteria, we can see that a newspaper article wouldn't be considered to have a scholarly purpose. The language is usually less academic. The length is generally shorter than five pages and sources are generally not referenced. The next five factors all further contribute to indicating the scholarly purpose of sources of information. The next factor is authority. In evaluating authority, we need to ask two questions about where the information came from, who wrote it and who produced the information. In evaluating the authority of the author we need to consider their credibility and reputation. Are they suitably qualified to write on this subject? Are they an expert in this field? Journal articles and books will usually include information about the author. For example, contact details, position, and the institution or university they're affiliated with. You can also check the number of times the author's work has been cited by other authors in the field, as this can indicate if they are valued or have authority in their field. We can also consider who produced or published the information. Is the publisher reliable? For example, a university press or government agency. If an article has been published in a peer review journal, this is considered highly authoritative as all articles will have undergone a rigorous review process, to insure they are of a high standard. The third factor we need to consider is the audience of the source, who is the intended audience? Generally, if information is written for an academic audience then it's considered to be appropriate to use in the academic context. Pay reviewed journals are a good example of these because they're written for an academic audience and are therefore considered to be reliable for this context. The fourth factor is objectivity. The questions we made to ask here is the information presented objectively, and are the opinions balanced, or does the author have an agenda? We need to decide if the information presented is objective or if the publisher or author has particular biases. For example, if we rate a study about the health benefit of a certain soft drink, but then discover that the study was funded by the company that produces the soft drink. You would be probably think that the study is not objective. That's because the company stands to benefit from the positive result of the study. Information produced with a scholarly purpose should aim to present the results of research in an objective, non-biased, and evidence-based way. The fifth factor that helps us to evaluate the credibility of information is accuracy. The questions we should ask here are, is the information presented accurate? And can the information be verified by other sources? This is especially helpful if we're not sure of the authority of the information. To check accuracy, we can check if the information can be verified by other sources. We can also check to see that any facts or evidence included had been accurately cited. When we consider the accuracy of a source, we can see the value of properly referenced academic journal articles. Because these references also provide a way to check the accuracy of the information presented. The final factor to consider when evaluating credibility is currency. We need to ask is the information up to date? And is that important for the type of information presented? When evaluating the credibility of sources and also if they're appropriate to include in your own research it's important to think about when the source was published, and how important this is to a topical field. For example, in some fields such as neuroscience, where current research is rapidly changing our knowledge of the field. It's important that the information referenced is highly current. In other fields such as history, classic texts published many years ago may still be highly relevant today. So, in this lesson we've looked at how to critically evaluate information by considering six main factors. As an undergraduate student, you'll find it useful to refer to these factors as a guide. However, as you practice your skills and build your expertise, these evaluative processes will become more and more intuitive. Allowing you to more effectively and deeply evaluate the information you encounter in the course of your studies. [MUSIC]
