Authority

WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT:

Authority is important when choosing a source. You need to make sure both the author and the publication are experts in the field of the source's topic. Identifying whether or not the source's author and publisher have the authority to speak on or publish content about your topic is vital to finding good sources for your topic.

WHAT TO DO:

  1. Review the examples and visual aid that explains the process.

  2. Answer the self-check questions at the end.

  3. Go to the next page of this module, Purpose.

Questions to Determine Authority

  1. What are the author and publisher's credentials?

  • Check to make sure that the author and publisher's credentials show that they are subject matter experts on the content of your source.

  1. If your source is from a website, is the creator's contact information available?

  • Contact information indicates that the company, organization, or individual exists and is willing to answer questions.

  1. Does the website URL reveal anything about the source's authority?

    • The URL can sometimes give you information about the author or publisher's authority. For example, websites ending in .gov show that the information is published by a government agency, while a website ending in .com or .net could be published by almost anyone.

  2. Has the information been reviewed by others in the field?

    • If the source is peer-reviewed, it means that others in the field agree that the author has produced work that has value in the author's field of study.


Reliable Expert or Questionable Hack?

Who is the Authority? Reliable Expert 1) The author's credentials are easily located and easily verified on other websites or through other sources. 2) The author's credentials match the topic of the source. 3) The publisher of the source is known to produce reliable information on the subject matter. Questionable Hack 1) Little to no information is provided on the sources author. The information cannot be verified by other sources. 2) The author's credentials do not match the topic of the source. 3) The publisher of the source is known to produce unreliable information on the subject matter.

Helpful Scenarios

You are writing a paper on Abraham Lincoln for a history class. Review the following examples and determine if the source's authority is reliable or questionable.

The library catalog features a biography on Lincoln. You look up the author and find out that she has a Ph. D. in American history.

Reliable. The author clearly has the credentials to be an expert on the subject matter.

A website with a lot of interesting facts about Lincoln's presidency. You look at the About page and find out that the website was created by a computer scientist who has an interest in history. He uses this website to share interesting stories he has come across involving Lincoln.

Questionable. The author is not an authority on the subject matter and created this website as a hobby.

A webpage about Lincoln's life published on whitehouse.gov.

Reliable. The .gov indicates a government website. Since Lincoln was president the White House's website will provide reliable, authoritative content on Abraham Lincoln.