Embedded Files
Welcome to Lesson 3!
Welcome to Lesson 3!
This lesson has multiple pages, just like the last lesson. It'll probably take you about 45 to 90 minutes to read through this lesson, but how long it'll take really depends on how fast you read and how much of the material is new to you. To get to the different pages of this lesson use the navigational links in the vertical black bar to the left, or use the links at the bottom of each page. If you are taking the tests associated with the lessons in this tutorial, then when you are ready to take a test, you'll need to navigate to the page that has LINKS TO ALL TESTS.
And now, the author would like to tell you about four things she is really eager for you to take away from this lesson:
Sources differ in the qualities they have.
Since it's often important to have accurate information, it's no surprise there are several names for qualities that reflect this, such as: scholarly, peer-reviewed, and credible.
Sometimes we need information that is simple, easy, and informal (a popular source) – as opposed to serious and erudite (a scholarly source).
And, sometimes we need information that is raw and unsynthesized (like primary sources), while other times it's helpful to have information that's been pre-processed and synthesized for us (like secondary sources).
Now, lets get started!
Now, lets get started!
Remember in Lesson 2 you saw how information sources differ in both content and purpose because this serves different information needs? Well, sometimes that's not enough to help you solve a particular information problem; often you need information to have a certain set of qualities as well. So, in this lesson you'll learn how sources can be characterized by the qualities they have.
Important source qualities to know about:
Important source qualities to know about:
It's very likely that for some of your college assignments you'll be required to find and use sources (like books and journal articles) that have certain qualities. The qualities you are most likely to hear mentioned in college courses include these:
But, before you go on to the next page of this lesson, you first need to take a close look at the information just below, or else you'll be really, really sorry you didn't.
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER THAT YOU NEED TO READ:
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT DISCLAIMER THAT YOU NEED TO READ:
NAU instructors don't consistently define source qualities the same way that this lesson defines them. In fact, many instructors use these words interchangeably when describing sources:
credible
scholarly
academic
peer-reviewed
So, if you are working on an assignment and you need to find sources that have certain qualities, you'll need to make sure you know how your instructor defines those qualities.
QUESTION 1. Please read the Extremely important disclaimer above so that you understand how critical it is to ask your instructor how THEY define credible, scholarly, academic, peer-reviewed, and popular sources. Now, choose the best answer below:
A. Yes, I read the disclaimer and I get it.
B. No, I ignored the disclaimer and this will lead to a world of pain.
(Answer at bottom of page.)What's next?
What's next?
Answer to the question on this page:Question 1. A
Report abuse