Transcript Evaluating and Finding Evidence

Rational Appeals
 Anecdote
 Analogy
 Consequences
 Effects
 Contrasts
 Categories
 Comparisons
 Examples
 Quotes
Hard Evidence
 Facts
 Statistics
 Surveys/Polls
 Testimonies
Narratives
Interviews
 Experiments
 Textual Evidence
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It’s not as easy as just sticking in evidence. Sometimes
evidence needs to be corroborated or supported by
other types of evidence.
 Interviews and testimonies are far more valuable if there is
corroborating evidence.
 Hard evidence such as surveys and polls require tests for
mathematical significance and error; they also require large and
diverse samples.
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Evidence also needs to be from a reliable and credible
source, and there are mechanisms to suggest reliability
and credibility
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Reliability means that the evidence is consistent.
Reliability is often shown in scientific studies
through a literature review that shows that similar
research has asked similar questions and gained
similar answers. The same can be said of
testimonies and interviews – if corroborating
interviews or testimonies are similar to the original
evidence, we can say that evidence is reliable.
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Credibility means that the evidence has had some
means confirming its trustworthiness. For example, we
might rely on expert opinion in an interview about
global warming from a scientist (in which we are looking
for his or her credentials such as academic degrees,
years experience on the topic, and past
accomplishments), or an article published in an
academic journal (which is peer-reviewed; other
specialists on the topic review the article for its
plausibility and accurateness)
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A Primary source is one in which the information that is
being reported was actually tested and collected by the
person reporting it. Academic journals, investigative
reporting in newspapers, and organizations that
conduct polls are primary source sources.
Primary source research is also that which you, the
writer have conducted through observation, survey, or
interview.
A Secondary source is one in which some primary
source is reinterpreted for another audience or purpose.
Magazines, television newscasts, and some reporting in
newspapers is secondary source.
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If you use lots of secondary sources as
evidence, it is not as credible or reliable since
the secondary source has already
“reinterpreted” the data for its argument
(and thus, has left some information out).
So, no secondary sources ever? Not so fast.
Secondary sources can be useful as
corroborating evidence in some cases, and
they can be useful for critique and analysis.
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What does it look like?
Where did you find it?
What is its purpose?
Who are its authors?
Who published it?
Was it documented?
Was it reviewed?
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Scholarly Book / Scholarly Book of Articles
Scholarly books are often written and edited by academics (e.g.
university professors, teachers and administrators). They document
their evidence using mostly primary source research, so there is often not
a lot of newspaper or magazines cited. Sometimes there are footnotes,
or in-text citation, but there will always be a Works Cited/Reference
section. Scholarly books are most often found in university libraries and
they are published by university presses (e.g. MIT, Cambridge, Harvard)
and academic publishers (e.g. Bedford, Routledge). They are not often
bestsellers, although they will have occasionally won an award or two.
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Popular Book
Popular books can be written by academics, but they are
often not. They will sometimes document their sources, but
most often will not, or they will use secondary sources.
Popular books are found in bookstores more than in
university libraries. They are published usually by
mainstream presses (Penguin, Harper, Random House),
although they can also be published by divisions of academic
publishers. If they are a bestseller, they will say so.
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Academic Journal
Academic journals are often published by academic
publishers (Routledge, Taylor and Francis, SAGE) or by
organizations that usually have an association with
universities. The articles take up almost the entire amount of
the journals, with occasional advertisements for textbooks
and conferences. The authors are almost always associated
with a university as a professor, teacher or administrator.
Articles will always be documented.
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Magazines
Popular magazines are found in the grocery store and
bookstore, and they are often published monthly or
biweekly. They have a lot of advertising for mass-market
products and this advertising takes up a significant amount
of space in the magazine. The articles usually are written
from a narrative or advice perspective, and they often
include many pictures, often taken by a person other than
the author. The articles almost never document sources.
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The difficult part is that given the traditions of print, telling
an academic source from a popular source is pretty
consistent. On the Internet, the sources may be a bit difficult
to determine as to their validity.
However, you can use the same questions on an online
source as you can to a print source, with the answers telling
you much about the reliability of the source.
The biggest problem is that the traditional review process is
often eliminated in online environments. This holds true for
both academic and non-academic sources.
 For example, http://arxiv.org/ allows any science researcher to publish
his or her research without a formal peer-review process. Arxiv was
originally not associated with anything, but now it is clearly hosted by
Cornell University.
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What does it look like?
Where did you find it?
What is its purpose?
Who are its authors?
Who published it?
Is it documented?
Is it reviewed?
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The authors’ names are clearly shown
The argument is logically believable
They acknowledge conflicting data or sources
(they have a counterargument)
They cite and reference other credible
sources
Their research methods are reliable and
appropriately explained
They attempt to be objective
They aren’t trying to sell you anything
Pick three websites to evaluate as to whether they are reliable and credible sources
or not and describe why.
Here are the websites:
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http://www.buzzle.com/articles/great-ways-to-teach-math-to-your-child.html
http://chestjournal.chestpubs.org/content/118/4/1150.long
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http://www.squidoo.com/arevideogamesbadforyou
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http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/57606/2/skonrath_2.pdf
http://www.timecube.com
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2009-12-08-school-lunch-standards_N.htm
http://www.anomalies-unlimited.com/Denver_Airport.html
http://www.apfn.org/apfn/moon.htm
http://www.dhmo.org
http://www.fluorideresearch.org/
http://www.netaddictionrecovery.com/the-problem/gaming-addiction/188-frequency-of-videogaming.html
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http://www.projectcensored.org/top-stories/articles/category/top-stories/top-25-of-2011/
Online databases offer electronic versions of print
sources. The general databases will allow you to
access magazines, newspapers, and academic
journals. Sometimes, the databases offer books as
well.
 Online databases should be your primary stop while
doing research once you have a topic. They offer
you the reliability and credibility of sources that the
Internet can’t offer.
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Select Database from the front page:
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Penrose library subscribes to many online
databases. The ones that you should be most
familiar depend on your major, but a useful,
general database to begin with is:
 Academic Search Premier (EBSCOHost)
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There are two more that you may need to rely on
at DU, and they are
 ScienceDirect
 Jstor
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You will learn more in WRIT 1133
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Not all the articles in a given journal will be in
electronic format. Academic Search Premier
may offer only the option
“FIND THIS ITEM IN PENROSE LIBRARY”
By selecting the link, it will show you whether
Penrose has the item or not, and where you can
find it
The following slides are designed to walk you
through some hints and tips for finding sources.
 These research strategies apply not only to this
assignment but to future assignments as well (and
assignments you have in other classes).
 Searching using the filters:
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 Peer-Reviewed
 Full Text
 Referenced
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Sometimes when you don’t know what to
write about, it’s good to start browsing the
web to see what is going on. You might start
by typing in some preliminary topics in the
news search of Google or Yahoo.
If you are in need of primary source research,
you can also browse academic journals.
Ask a Librarian – Most librarians will be very helpful in
finding information for your topics. The Penrose library has a
Reference Librarian whose job it is to sit at a desk in the
middle and help students. Finding obscure sources is their
job—they are the pros. But note, they are there to help you
not do it for you.
 Ask a Professor – Most professors, especially those who are
in the field of your topic, will help you not only find an issue
but suggest some sources as well. Depending on how well
the professor knows you, he or she may also let you borrow
articles or books on the topic.
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If you find a good source, you should be able to find many
more relevant sources.
Academic journal articles will usually triangulate and
synthesize past research on an issue. Use the
Reference/Works Cited page as a way to get more sources.
Newspaper articles, although secondary, often dumb-down
primary source articles for a mass audience. If a news story
interests you, follow the trail to the primary source.
Search the Internet for bibliographies on your topic
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Most authors are experts on their topics, so
they have written multiple articles on that
topic.
You might even Google the author to see if
he/she has a webpage that has their résumé
or CV (the academic version of a résumé)
Find the best sources rather
than the easy sources.