Throughout my education I have been told time and time again to verify the validity of my sources. Generally, I thought this was a little superfluous to be reminded of repeatedly. I mean, it’s obvious what a reliable source is, right? You can tell what sources were put together by credible sources at first glance… Or so I thought.
http://glee.wikia.com/wiki/File:Duh_duh_duh.gif
In CTW last Friday, we were given an assignment to determine how strong our Internet Bullsh*t Detector is. The assignment sheet offered 6 pairs of websites with a topic for each pair. The goal was to determine which of the websites was reliable and which contained at least one serious flaw for academic research.
http://www.wordonatshirt.com/cat/bull_sht
The flawed websites generally contained subtleties making it hard to determine their validity. The problematic cite was generally flawed because of its biased authors, from members of the KKK, to vegan hippies.
Going into this assignment, I was pretty confident in my ability to distinguish between a reliable and unreliable source. As confident as I may have been before, I found myself second guessing myself when it came time to actually complete the assignment. I was able to determine the flawed website each time, but I questioned myself more than I thought I would.
If I hadn’t looked at the pair of websites with the intention of finding a flaw in one of them, I likely could have used both websites in an essay or research project. Like Professor Lueck said, this may not be the worst thing though. Sources that may not be the most reliable aren’t necessarily entirely flawed either. If used knowing a flaw, you can use the information and bring the flaw to light.
http://www.picturequotes.com/dont-judge-a-book-by-its-cover-quote-19477
I was really grateful to complete this exercise because it reminded me to take a little extra care in searching for appropriate sources. Something that looks good on the outside, may not always be the most authentic source.