Picking Out Information

When making a point in an essay, the writer needs to find evidence that supports the point. This gives the essay a purpose and makes the reader want to understand the writer's point of view. The purpose of the essay is called a thesis.

The thesis is the heart of an essay. It's what helps guide the reader through the essay and the writer through the research process. Once the writer has his/her thesis, then he/she has a better understanding of what to research. For example, if the teacher has students arguing over the existence of the Mothman, then students are able to take a position, find evidence to support their claim, and use it in an essay.

Let's stay with the Mothman example and gather information on this topic. One way of doing so is to search for factual information, not theories, on the subject. So, I'm going to search "Mothman newspaper articles" to see what was published. The following is a Google results page of this search.

Figure 2.1

Notice the different type of websites in my results. Since I had already worked through the domain name section of this webquest (What's in a Domain Name?) I know that .com's are commercial websites that anyone can buy and .org websites are non-profit organizations. The first result is from a WordPress website, which is a platform where anyone can sign up for a website or a blog, so I'm going to skip that (it may be worth a look at some point if the information contains credible resources). The second website is from the West Virginia Division of Culture and History. The third is from Cryptozoologynews.com with a rating of 4.8 out of 5 stars with only 5 reviews. Which of the three resources seems more credible? I would choose the second one as a starting website. If I can't find the information I'm looking for there, then I can move on to the other sources. It is important to search for information that will help your essay and to find credible websites that support your claim.

Remember, you cannot believe everything you see on the Internet.

Let's do another example. A teacher instructed students to inform readers on an aquatic animal, discuss its history and where it is heading in the future (if it will become extinct or not). A student, then, is mulling around the Internet trying to find information about fascinating water creatures and happens to find a website on the Tree Octopus (the following is the opening page of the website). The student is so happy because everything the student needs is on this page: the history, how it is becoming endangered, and what can be done to stop it. All information is laid out on this one page (it even has pictures). Perfect, right?

Figure 2.2

Well, let's take a moment and apply some search logic to this website. The University of California Santa Cruz outlines some excellent techniques on detecting if a website is real or fake.

Evaluating the Quality and Credibility of your Sources*

1. Authority
   • Who published the source?
   • Where does the information in the source come from?
   • Who is the author? What are the author's credentials?
   • Is the content a first-hand account or being retold?
2. Currency
   • When was the source published? Is the source current or out of date?
3. Purpose
   • What is the author's intention? Is this information fact, opinion, or propaganda?
   • Is the publication organized logically? Are the main points clearly presented?

So, who is the author of this tree octopus website? There is no author stated at the top of this webpage, but there is a statement at the bottom: "The author of this article and its subsections is Lyle Zapato" as seen below. The name seems to be a hyperlink to another site, so let's click on it.

Figure 2.3

The following is the results of that click.

Figure 2.4

This hardly looks like a credible website. Notice the updated time stamps and even the tagline for the website, "Your Source For Conspiracies & Other Diversions." This website and anything attached to it is not reliable.

So remember to ask questions and check for reliable information.

Once you have your sources with credible information, you need to use it in an essay. Move on to the "In-Text Citations" section to see how.

*Information on questioning the quality and credibility of sources was adapted from the University of California Santa Cruz University Library website retrieved on February 27, 2017 at http://library.ucsc.edu/help/research/evaluate-the-quality-and-credibility-of-your-sources.