Credibility and Relevance

Credibility in this paper is about the trustworthiness of the source. All sources – authors, speakers, publications, organizations – should have their credibility checked. If there is any doubt as to whether your audience will know the source and its/their credibility you should include the credibility in there. If there is a bias it should be acknowledged, and it should be clear why you are using that source over one that would be unbiased.

To state or not to state? State credibility if… Do NOT state credibility if… - there are multiple sources out there - it is commonly known information - data seems shocking or could be called into doubt - the author/source is well known and widely respected - author/source is not known - the publication/institution is well known and widely respected - publication/institution is not known - it is a quote you are using for introduction and/or context from someone well known - if there is any doubt as to whether or not your audience will question the source - there can be no doubt that the information you are presenting is true - you are using a journalistic source over an academic source (must explain why) - it has already been established earlier in the paper

How/Where should you mention credibility? Before you present the information. Right after you state the name of the author/source or right after you mention the publication/organization.

Which one? 1) Regina Will, business columnist for the Washington Post, explains, “What drives business is wage. When you have a higher wage for working class people they have more money to spend…and they spend it.” 2) Regina Will, business columnist for the Washington Post, a highly- respected, slightly left-leaning American paper, explains, “What drives business is wage. When you have a higher wage for working class people they have more money to spend…and they spend it.” 3) Regina Will explains, “What drives business is wage. When you have a higher wage for working class people they have more money to spend…and they spend it.” Regina is a Harvard Business School graduate and business columnist for the Washington Post.

Which one? According to a study done by the Heritage Foundation, a Washington think tank, Tax breaks to the upper 1% of Americans will create roughly 3 million jobs and GDP growth will rise from 3% to 5% over the first 5 years. According to a study done by the Heritage Foundation, Tax breaks to the upper 1% of Americans will create roughly 3 million jobs and GDP growth will rise from 3% to 5% over the first 5 years. According to a study done by the Heritage Foundation, a right-leaning think tank, Tax breaks to the upper 1% of Americans will create roughly 3 million jobs and GDP growth will rise from 3% to 5% over the first 5 years.

Which one? Mark Twain said, “If you love what you do you will never work a day in your life.” Famous American author Mark Twain said, “If you love what you do you will never work a day in your life.” American satirist and world renowned writer Mark Twain wisely stated, “If you love what you do you will never work a day in your life.”

Which one? An economic review done at Yale University (2016) shows that wages have been stagnant for the past 30 years when compared to inflation. Yale University is a highly-respected Ivy League college. An economic review done by Yale School of Fiscal Policy reveals that wages have been stagnant for the past 30 years when compared to inflation. The School of Fiscal Policy at Yale University, which looks into financial issues at one of the world’s top universities, tells us that wages have been stagnant for the past 30 years when compared to inflation.

Relevance Relevance informs the audience of how the evidence relates back to the overall area of inquiry or argument.

How/Where should I mention the relevance of the source? It can come before, but should most definitely come after you state the information as part of your explanation of the evidence. The most crucial part of using support is to explain it. When you let it stand on its own, your audience can misconstrue the proper application. Thus the relevance of the support is lost. Relevance can come before the support point is brought up if you lead into the quote with the relevance component.

To state or not to state? ALWAYS STATE!!!

Which one? 1) Many Americans witnessed wages staying relatively low when compared to inflation over the past two decades. Pew Research, a non- artisan research entity shows that the inflation has risen “15% over that time while wages have risen a mere 2.8%.” Without wage growth we may see a drop in things like home ownership, vacation spending, and student loan default. 2) Many Americans witnessed wages staying relatively low when compared to inflation over the past two decades. Pew Research, a non- artisan research entity shows that the inflation has risen “15% over that time while wages have risen a mere 2.8%.” The 12.2% disparity means that while the dollar is worth 15% less that it was 30 years ago our wages have only risen 2.8%, thus putting more Americans into poverty despite working the same job and the same number of hours.

Which one? 1) When looking at unemployment through the social lens, work’s affect on our lives as social beings must be discussed. Elmira Goldfin PhD, Sociologist at Stanford University, describes our social world at work as such: “The proverbial ‘watercooler’ is our connection to the outside world when we are in our cubicles. We confide in these people (our co-workers) whose frustrations in the cubicle space mirrors ours, thus we form immediate social connections, which extend beyond the cubicle space” (Thompson 8). That is why losing a job is so difficult.

Which one? 2) When looking at unemployment through the social lens, work’s affect on our lives as social beings must be discussed. Elmira Goldfin PhD, Sociologist at Stanford University, describes our social world at work as such: “The proverbial ‘watercooler’ is our connection to the outside world when we are in our cubicles. We confide in these people (our co-workers) whose frustrations in the cubicle space mirrors ours, thus we form immediate social connections, which extend beyond the cubicle space” (Thompson 8). While the economic impact of losing a job can never be understated, these social connections that Goldfin speaks of are severed when people lose their jobs, thus creating unforeseen obstacles for those who face unemployment.