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You'll probably hear instructors tell you to use sources that are 'credible.' But what does that mean and how do you determine whether a source is credible? A source is considered credible if there's evidence indicating it will provide accurate and reliable information. (At least that's how we're defining the word 'credible' in this tutorial. You may encounter instructors who define it differently – and if you do, make sure they explain how they define it. In fact, ask them for examples of the types of sources they consider to be credible or non-credible.)
There's a variety of evidence you can examine to establish whether a source is credible. For example you might note whether it's a scholarly source, or whether it was written by someone with appropriate expertise. Or you might note whether the source provides lots of explanations, examples, and evidence.
In fact, determining whether a source is credible is no different from assessing the quality of a source, which you will learn about in Lesson 4.
If you establish that a source is credible, is that a guarantee it contains high-quality, accurate information?
If you establish that a source is credible, is that a guarantee it contains high-quality, accurate information?
Suppose you're examining a source and you decide it's reasonable to assume it contains accurate and reliable information – in other words, you determine it's credible. Unfortunately, that's no guarantee the source does contain accurate and reliable information. So, you may be wondering: "If being 'credible' is no guarantee that a source is accurate and reliable, then why bother discussing this quality at all? Wouldn't it be better to make certain that a source contains reliable information?" It would be preferable to be certain – but most of the time that's not possible.
To see why it's usually not possible to know for sure that a source is accurate and reliable, let's consider this source, a research article from the journal PLoS One:
Manikkam, M. et al. (2013). Plastics derived endocrine disruptors (BPA, DEHP and DBP) induce epigenetic transgenerational inheritance of obesity, reproductive disease and sperm epimutations. PloS One, 8(1): e55387.
To be certain the information in that journal article is accurate and reliable, you'd need to be an expert in the field of transgenerational inheritance of health conditions caused by exposure to endocrine disruptors. Then you'd be able to fully understand this research article and assess whether the research project it describes was well-designed, and whether the authors collected enough relevant data and analyzed that data properly to arrive at sound conclusions. To be even more certain of this article's reliability, you might also want to check the quality of the sources that were cited and how the authors used information from those sources to support their research findings. It wouldn't be a bad idea to consult other expert scholars as well, to see if you all agree that the article is accurate and reliable.
If you were already an expert on the subject matter of this article, then you could potentially take the time to thoroughly assess it and determine whether it's sound. In fact, when experts use sources within their narrow area of expertise, it's common for them to carefully assess the rigor of those sources.
The problem is, we need to consult sources outside our areas of expertise all the time. For example, we use sources to solve a variety of problems at work as well as problems in our personal lives – such as making choices about medical care, investing money, deciding who to vote for, deciding what products to buy to get the best value for our money, etc. Our skill at selecting and consulting high-quality sources impacts our career success, health, and well-being.
However, most of the time it's completely unrealistic to assess those sources in the way described above. It's too time consuming – plus it would require everyone to become an expert on everything (which is obviously impossible). All we can do, then, is examine sources for attributes that are associated with rigor in order to gauge which are a safe bet to rely on. So, if you examine the attributes of a source and conclude that it's credible, it's like you're placing a calculated bet that it'll contain accurate and reliable information.
QUESTION 1. Pick the TWO best endings to this sentence. When consulting sources that are outside your area of expertise _____________.
A. you should only use those that have no illustrations or advertisements.
B. you are unlikely to ever know for certain that the source contains high-quality, reliable information.
C. you can assess the source to determine whether it's likely to be credible before using information from it.
D. you should only use scholarly sources.
(Answer at bottom of page.)Furthermore, we instinctively spend more time assessing credibility when the stakes are high. For example, suppose you injure your foot. Since you don't have the appropriate expertise to diagnose and fix your injury, you must rely on an information source that does, namely: a doctor. So, you go to a doctor who says you'll need intricate surgery to fix your foot, followed by many months of physical therapy. The doctor also explains that the surgery has risks. Sometimes the surgery isn't effective, plus there've been a few cases where patients had worse foot problems after the surgery. Since your mobility is a high-stakes issue, you'd want to spend more time and effort assessing the credibility of the advice this doctor gave you. Specifically, you might:
Get a second or third opinion from other doctors, and specifically target doctors who specialize in foot injuries and who have a lot of experience.
Find and read journal articles about the surgical procedure and whether there are alternative, less risky therapies.
While you'll never have the necessary expertise to know for sure the best course of action for fixing your foot, you can gather information, assess its credibility, and then make a calculated bet on what's best for you. And, you'll spend more time assessing credibility when the stakes are high, like they are in the example just described.
So, judging credibility is like making a calculated bet, but it isn't foolproof.
So, judging credibility is like making a calculated bet, but it isn't foolproof.
Taking the time to assess the credibility of a source and make a calculated bet on its accuracy and reliability will pay off most of the time, and it's certainly better than just picking and using any source at random, such as consulting your nephew Brad for medical advice on your foot (see cartoon above). That's why it's important to know how to evaluate the quality/credibility of a source, which will be covered in Lesson 4.
QUESTION 2. Which option below represents the best way to use information to make decisions?
A. Attempt to establish that a source is credible before using information from it.
B. Use any source at random without attempting to assess it's quality.
C. Never consult any information sources at all because it's just too risky.
D. Simply visualize yourself using high-quality information.
(Answer at bottom of page.)What's next?
What's next?
Answers to questions on this page:Question 1. B & CQuestion 2. A
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