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GENERALLY CREDIBLEFact-based, peer-reviewed, primary research, minimal bias Seek out! |
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CREDIBILITY CAN VARY WIDELYMay have biases, financial interests, agendas Research source more! |
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GENERALLY NOT CREDIBLEAgenda-driven, limited facts, opinion-based, highly biased Avoid! |
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JOURNALA periodical that informs its readers about advances and news in a particular subject area, like nursing or architecture. There are scholarly journals and peer-reviewed journals, which claim to have their articles vetted by professionals in a particular field, thus making them credible. |
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WHITE PAPERAn authoritative report that informs readers about a complex issue and presents the issuing body's philosophy on the matter. It is meant to help readers understand an issue, solve a problem, or make a decision. |
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CORPORATE/GOVERNMENT DOCUMENTA presentation of facts and collected data that should be credible. |
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LEGISLATIONLaw enacted by a legislature, which can be verified, and, therefore, is credible. |
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COURT DECISIONA legal action that determines the rights and liabilities of parties involved in a court proceeding, which can be verified, and, therefore, is credible. |
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DISSERTATION/THESISUsually required for an advanced academic degree; it presents the author's research with lengthy exposition of a topic; content is vetted by academic committee and is credible. |
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PERIODICALSPublished on a regular basis (periodically). This could be a newspaper, journal, book series, or proceedings from meetings of government and professional organizations. Also called a "serial." |
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NEWSPAPERLocal or national reporting of news-worthy items. Newspaper articles are summaries of original content published in other formats, and, thus, susceptible to misinterpretation. It is best to find the original publication. |
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BOOK (NON-FICTION)Content published one time. If it is popular, the contents can be updated and published in a new edition. More time is spent editing and qualifying the book content than in other types of publications, so, depending upon the bias of the publisher, books are a credible resource. |
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AUDIO/VISUAL MEDIA (NON-FICTION/DOCUMENTARY)Documentaries can be objective (good resource) or biased (can be useful if the bias is pointed out). |
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MAGAZINESometimes used interchangeably with "journal", but in higher education, a magazine is considered a vehicle for selling products- not for informing its readers about advances in a certain profession. Magazines are identified by their many pages of advertisements and short, one-pages articles, with little useful content. |
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INTERNET WEBSITES/BLOGSContent found on the internet can be posted by anyone anonymously, and without verification; unless effort is made to find original documents, this information is suspect. |
Created by Deb Johnson and Clay Chiarelott, 2017.