DueRead: Good Reasons, Chapter 13Post: Sidebar: Resources Meeting PlaceWe will meet this week in the reference section of the main library. Please bring your research notebook and The Ready Reference Handbook. |
February 5-9, 2001By now you should have printed at least three Internet sources and photocopied or borrowed at least five print sources. All of your printouts and photocopies should be in your research notebook.On Tuesday, we will explore Internet research further with a librarian. On Thursday, we will discuss evaluating sources. Use what you have learned to create the list of resources for your sidebar and post this revised sidebar by Friday. On both Tuesday and Thursday this week, I will have my office hours in the reference section of the library, where I can help you with your research. |
ObjectivesBy the time you finish this you unit, you should:
Terms
ResourcesThe following Internet and print sources can help you with the concepts covered in this unit:
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Evaluating SourcesYour argument is only as good as your information. If the support you provide is inaccurate or biased, then no amount of clarity, organization, depth, or style will make your argument compelling, at least to readers who recognize the holes in your information. Thus, once you have located relevant sources, you next need to evaluate them. In particular, you need to determine whether they contain factual material, interpretation, or a combination of the two. You also must assess each source's credibility. Finally, you should determine whether they are primary or secondary sources and try to draw from both types.Facts and InterpretationProbably every source you encounter will include factual material, which is material that most people accept as indisputable. Some examples of facts are dates, quantitites, names, and locations. One test of whether something is a fact is to ask yourself whether it answers one of the following questions: Who? What? When? Where? If it does, it likely is a fact. For example, the material in the following sentence is entirely factual: Benjamin Franklin began publishing the Pennsylvania Gazette in 1828 in Philadelphia. Factual material can strengthen an argument because it cannot be disputed and thus provides a solid foundation. An interpretation, on the other hand, involves a conclusion that someone, such as a scholar, has drawn from the facts and thus is disputable. Some examples of interpretations are value judgments, explanations of causes and effects, assessments of meaning, and proposals. You can test whether something is an interpretation by asking yourself whether it answers one of the following questions: Why? How? If it does, it probably is an interpretation. For example, the following sentence contains some interpretation: Benjamin Franklin believed humans could control their destiny and wrote his autobiography to encourage them to exercise their free will. Interpretation strengthens an argument by giving it meaning and substance. Indeed, as you will see later, an argument by definition must include some interpretation. As you also will see, you must give credit to sources when you borrow their interpretations.CredibilityWhen you assess a source's credibility, you try to determine how believable it is. First, you should look at the credentials of the author and the publisher. Authors who have advanced degrees in their fields, who work for reputable organizations such as respected universities or government agencies, or who have published other books or articles tend to be more credible than authors who lack any of these credentials. Furthermore, well-known publishers--especially those affiliated with reputable universities--tend to be more credible than other publishers because they have reputations to uphold. In other words, credentials provide some proof that the material in a source is accurate and based on sound reasoning. Because it is much easier to publish material on the Internet than to print it in a book or reputable magazine, print sources tend to be more credible than sources you find on the Internet. A second consideration is timeliness. Sources published or posted recently tend to be more credible than older sources simply because new knowledge gradually becomes available as scholars continue to conduct research. You also will want to look for sources whose authors appear to have considered various interpretations and to have presented fair accounts. Beware of biased sources, which tend to present only evidence that supports one interpretation. In particular, try to avoid a source that has an agenda: a set of political, ideological, or financial goals that the author or authors seek to achieve. One clue that an author has an agenda is a subjective tone--that is, one with an emotional component; stick with objective sources, which avoid emotional language. Finally, evaluate the reasoning in a source's argument. Try to avoid sources that rely on logical fallacies, false arguments that tend to distract or mislead readers or listeners rather than stand on reasoning and support. Here are three common logical fallacies:
Primary SourcesWhat they are: Think of primary sources as collections of raw data requiring interpretation. In many cases, they contain mainly factual material--that is physical descriptions, dates, locations, quantities, and other types of information that people generally agree is true. It is a good idea to start your research by looking at primary sources so that you can develop your own ideas. Here are a few kinds of primary sources:
Secondary SourcesWhat they are: Secondary sources contain interpretations of raw data The authors of secondary sources, often university professors and other scholars, analyze factual material and draw conclusions about causes, effects, and meanings. Others may disagree with their conclusions and offer their own interpretations in separate secondary sources. After you have begun to interpret primary sources, you can use the material in these secondary sources to qualify, support, and refine your interpretation. Be careful, though. Scholarly books and articles often contain very challenging language. Keep a dictionary and a subject encyclopedia at hand when you read them. Here are a few kinds of secondary sources:
Exercises
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