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PSYC 1: General Psychology 1 (Del Chiaro)

The course supports Psyc 1: General Psychology for Fall quarter.

Activity 1

Compare the two lists below. Which elements are similar in the two lists? Working with a partner, write your answers in this Padlet.

October 18th Class

Credibility of Sources

How to Evaluate the Credibility of Sources

1. Author credentials

  • Is the author an expert/authority in the field
    • Earned a degree in the field
    • Has extensive experience in the field
  • A knowledgeable amateur
  • Limited knowledge of the topic, but has an opinion

2. Author bias

  • Difficult to remove personal bias completely
  • Academic discipline can add bias
    • Psychologists use different tools than Sociologists so might get different results
    • Liberal and conservative political scientists might interpret information differently

3. Quality of the publication

  • Some academic journals are higher quality than others
  • Does the source specialize in this topic or is the topic tangential to its focus

4. Is the article peer reviewed

  • Peer reviewed papers have other experts review the research before publication
  • Edited books have an editor who organizes and directs other authors 
  • Popular journals and newspapers have an editor who approves articles before publication

5. Type of publication

  • The type of publication shapes the information presented
    • A book is very different than a journal article
    • A documentary is different than a motion picture
    • A statistical table is different than presenting the information via written text
  • McLuhan - the medium is the message

6. Date of publication

  • The need for current information varies by academic discipline
    • Sciences (e.g., biology, computer science) - information changes rapidly so usually need information from last 1-2 years
    • Social Sciences (e.g., psychology, communications) - usually need information published in the last 10-20 years
    • Humanities (e.g., literature, philosophy) - information changes slowly, even ancient texts like the works of Aristotle are still important
  • Type of information
    • Reports on an experiment might become outdated relatively fast
    • Theoretical or philosophical texts might have a long life

7. Is the information verifiable?

  • If you publish the results of an experiment, can others duplicate the results
  • Are sources included in a bibliography used accurately

8. Evidence presented supports the conclusion(s)

  • Does the evidence point one way but the conclusion goes in a different direction
  • Does the conclusion raise issues not covered by the research

9. Line between fact and opinion is clear

  • A peer reviewed journal might have essays, research articles, and book reviews
  • Does a newspaper indicate if an article is reporting an event, an analysis, or is the article a commentary/opinion piece