Expertise

The Importance of Expertise

Expertise encompasses everything pertaining to credibility and demonstrating a high level of comprehension. Demonstrating credibility requires a substantial amount of knowledge on a particular topic, proven through extensive research. Experts on certain topics are often notable academics; while students research subjects for their own academic papers, they must find evidence from experts to include in their writing in order to best illustrate their argument. Students may demonstrate their own expertise by citing other experts because doing so exhibits that students are able to recognize credible sources. In order to find credible sources, students can use search engines such as Google Scholar to narrow their search, or they can read through the Cal Poly Bookstore catalog to find peer-reviewed, academic sources. While verifying a source’s credibility, checking for the publishing institution and the author’s experience with the subject of the source are beneficial steps to determine if a source is valid and applicable to demonstrating expertise in an argument. As academics, students have a moral imperative to disseminate knowledge that is verifiable and accurate. When students use sources that are not credible, they are misinforming their reader, meaning they are not demonstrating their own expertise. Students demonstrate their own expertise by relying on accurate, verifiable information from established experts to support their arguments.

Students can also demonstrate their own expertise by executing correct and effective writing mechanics. Correct grammar, varied sentence structure, and powerful word choice demonstrate a student’s skill set in writing. Students can prove that they are knowledgeable writers when they communicate ideas effectively. Appropriate use of writing mechanics shows the reader that the writer is an expert of the English language, and the reader is more likely to trust the content of the argument if the writer is proficient in their use of writing mechanics because this skill makes the writer appear as an expert.

Citing sources correctly is incredibly important because it gives appropriate credit to the original thinker behind the source. Correct MLA citations not only show the reader that the writer is capable of following plagiarism guidelines, but MLA citations also give the reader the ability to verify the validity of the sources the writer uses. Writing academic papers with appropriate MLA citations and a works cited page demonstrates to the reader that the writer is an expert in professional, academic writing. This makes the reader more likely to consider the content of the argument because correct citations indicate to the reader that the writer is knowledgeable. Similar to use of appropriate writing mechanics, proper MLA citations and a works cited page are vital components of professional, academic writing. Academic papers without these components do not indicate that the writer is credible.

The Dangers of Ignorance

Lack of respect for experts and their abilities

According to Nichols the soon coming “death” of expertise and the increase of ignorance is due greatly to the growth in media and technology. He explains how this growth has changed the way society sees knowledge and how “Americans have reached a point where ignorance, especially of anything related to public policy, is an actual virtue” (Nichols x). This ever-growing ignorance within society is also reflected in education and in the classroom. Students have tendencies to frequently send teachers informal emails asking questions often already discussed in class, in the syllabus/website, or even simple questions that the internet can answer. Nichols also relates this issue to the growth of media and as a result people desiring the comfort to hide behind a screen “...email encourages a misplaced sense of intimacy that erodes the boundaries necessary to effective teaching” (Nichols 84). Nichols recognizes that society is losing respect for experts in all fields and often tends to see experts as equal to them and their knowledge which is not the case. The benefits and respect that a student owes a teacher for having these discussions in person rather than via email are directly reflected through the quality and success of a student's education. Or rather looking up simple information rather than reaching out to their teacher the same way as texting a good friend. Students recognizing their professors as their equals actually does the opposite of benefitting them, “While once professors may have expected deference, their expertise seems to have become just another service that students, as consumers, are buying.” (Nichols 85). Majority of questions a student may have within English 145 the answer is listed in this website and if not, ask the teacher during class or attend office hours!

The Dunning-Kruger Effect

Producing argumentative writing necessitates a deep understanding of the subject matter. However, individuals frequently overestimate their knowledge due to a vague understanding of a subject, a psychological phenomenon known as the Dunning-Kruger effect. For example, a less experienced driver may overestimate their abilities and take more risks than a confident drive would which could lead to an accident. This effect is pure ignorance, “This meta-ignorance (or ignorance of ignorance) arises because lack of expertise and knowledge often hides in the realm of the “unknown unknowns” or is disguised by erroneous beliefs and background knowledge that only appear to be sufficient to conclude a right answer” (Dunning). This double ignorance not only allows student writers to frequently make overestimating mistakes, but also stops them from being able to even recognize a mistake or example of ignorance when it occurs. The Dunning-Kruger effect leads individuals to make uninformed decisions. For instance, another common issue in argumentative writing is the lack of informed perspectives on societal issues. Tom Nichols describes a study that found a problematic trend in which the respondents who lacked knowledge about Ukraine expressed the most extreme views and supported military intervention in the country, indicating that a lack of knowledge can lead to misguided views and uninformed decision-making. Nichols argues that this ignorance puts society at risk of "throwing away centuries of accumulated knowledge and undermining the practices and habits that allow us to develop new knowledge" (3). Thus, incorporating intellectual achievement and acknowledging the advice of experts in their field can reduce misguided views, leading to more effective decision-making.

How to Avoid the Dunning-Kruger Effect

The best possible way to avoid ignorance within English 145 takes place within research. Ensuring that the sources being used are reliable sources is extremely important so that false information is not believed and argued within the essays. When researching, reading and learning from a variety of credible sources is another way to avoid possible ignorance. The use and review of a variety of sources allows practice of recognizing bias on the internet.

How to Build Credibility!

To ensure source credibility, be aware of the increased risk of misinformation through biases of websites. Use reliable databases with recent sources from credible authors that have been peer-reviewed.

Determine if the source is biased

Ask these questions in “The Source Credibility Guide”.

To ensure expertise in writing, sources must show credibility through; origin, author, purpose, perspective, academic, and relevance.

Make sure each one is unbiased before using the site as a source in your writing! Below you can see each step to ensure credibility in your sources.

Origin - Look at where the source came from, is this site unbiased, and ad-free?

If you are unsure, use databases such as “OneSearch” (make sure to use your school login to further access) or “Ecosia”. These databases are non-biased and produce more credible sources!

Author - Now that you found a source from a credible database, is the author unbiased?

If you are unsure, check what other work the author has produced. If their other work is similar and their occupancy/education correlates then your source is less likely to be biased.

Purpose & Perspective - You now have a reliable database and credible author, but what was the author's intended audience and why?

To know the intended audience, think about how the author wrote the source. Avoid work that is written to persuade or entertain as this shows biases that would then rely on your written work.

Look for informative and factually written work that is consistent with a non-biased tone.

Academic - Even though the work so far appears non-biased, is the source written with proper academic language and uses credible sources for evidence?

If the author does not use credible sources such as other peer-reviewed journals or studies within the source you are trying to use, then their evidence is less likely to be reliable.

This shows potential biases in writing and will cause a lack of expertise in your writing.

Relevance - Despite biases, the source must also be relevant to your topic on a timeline and rubric basis.

Timeline: If the source is older by more than five to ten years, depending on the topic, the relevancy will be out of date. If the source you are using for your writing is out of date then your writing will lack expertise due to a lack of up-to-date evidence.

Rubric: The source must provide evidence that will support your topic with concrete examples. Concrete examples meaning, real life and non-US examples for your writing.

This is a standard rule with ENGL 145 so the sources you choose should be relevant enough to your chosen topic to provide that information for your writing. Sources that have an overview or overall meaning will not be enough so be specific with your research!

Overall, remaining unbiased is important to create expertise in writing, so avoid sources that make your writing biased. This mistake can be made if you are not analyzing the sources you plan to use in your writing. Bias writing makes writing lack expertise and shows writing ignorance!

Proper Language Importance!

Avoid common grammar mistakes and figurative language in writing to decrease ignorance in writing. Reread drafts and edit as needed to show expertise in writing through mistake-free proper language.

Figurative Language and Academic Writing -

The use of figurative language reduces expertise and does not add any specific information to a written work. If you look at George Orwell's rules in the image here, he explains writing practices to avoid. Writing without these rules and the use of figurative language will not display your knowledge as a writer; rather, your reuse of a combination of words and phrases that have been put together by other people. The overuse of descriptive words with no set definition makes them void of meaning therefore reducing expertise in your writing.

Works Cited

BBCRadio4. “George Orwell’s Six Rules For Writing From His 1946 Essay ’Politics and the English Language.” Twitter, Twitter, 29 Jan. 2021, twitter.com/BBCRadio4/status/1355091363478593536.

Dunning, David et al. “Stupid Statistics!” Methods in Cell Biology, Academic Press, 26 Oct. 2007, www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0091679X07840234. Accessed15 March 2024

Gompel, Kristin Van. “5 Tips For Integrating Source Credibility Activities Into Your Curriculum.” Turnitin, 20 Feb. 2020, www.turnitin.com/blog/5-tips-for-integrating-source-credibility-activities-into-your-curriculum.

Nichols, Tom. The Death of Expertise. Oxford UP, 2017.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/B9780123855220000056

Orwell, George. “Politics and the English Language.” Horizon, April 1946.

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