Reference and Research

Essential Questions How can we determine if information is valid or reliable? How can we determine if information is fact or an opinion? How can we determine is information is a primary or secondary source, and is one better or the other?

Vocabulary to know… and USE when doing research. Validity- The degree that information is correct, factual and sound. Reliability- The degree that information can be researched is from a source whose credentials are trustworthy. Fact- A statement that can be proven to be either true or false. Opinion- A statement that expresses beliefs, feelings or judgments. Primary Source- First hand or original information that comes from a reliable source. Secondary Source- Information that has been gathered and interpreted by more than one source.

What is reference and research? Reference/Research- Locating and Interpreting Information Reference/Research- Analyzing Multiple Sources Validity and Reliability Fact vs. Opinion Primary vs. Secondary Sources

The Standard for High School Students Students must be able to locate, gather, evaluate, analyze written information. Students must be able to analyze the validity and reliability of information. Students must be able to synthesize information from multiple sources to draw conclusions and formulate a written response. Integrate and evaluate multiple sources of information presented in different media of formats (e.g. visually, quantitatively) as well as in words in order to address a question or solve a problem.

Validity and Reliability These two Research and Reference skills require you to analyze the correctness (validity) and source (reliability) of information. In order to do this, you need to determine if the information is Fact or opinion Primary or secondary source

Fact or Opinion? Fact- A statement that can be proven as either true or false using a valid source. A fact answers specific questions, such as: What happened? Who did it? When and where did it happen? Why did it happen?

Fact vs. Opinion Opinion- A statement that expresses beliefs, feelings, and judgments. Phrases to indicate an opinion usually begin with: I believe, I think, it seems to me, or In my opinion. Statements often contain words contain such as: might, could, should, and ought. Judgment words such as good, bad, poor, satisfactory, indicate an opinion.

Primary vs. Secondary Sources Primary Source: First hand or original information that comes from a reliable source. Examples include eyewitness accounts, personal interviews, autobiographies, letters, diaries, scientific journals. Secondary Source: Information that has been gathered and interpreted by more than one source. Examples include textbooks, encyclopedias, magazine articles, biographies, movie reviews.

Evaluating Sources External qualities source/data: Consistent with other reports and data. Authoritative: Source is unbiased and has no political agenda, has credible expertise. Internal qualities of source/data: Qualitative: Data says what you need it to, holds up to analysis and logic. Quantitative: Not just a story, anecdote, but statistically relevant. Timely: Current, accurate. Accurate: Verifiable via a primary source or reliable secondary source.

The CRAAP TEST of Evaluating Sources- By California State University Currency- The timeliness of the information: What was the information posted? Does your topic require current info? Are the links functional? Relevance- The importance of the information Does the information relate to your topic? Who is its intended audience? Is the information at an appropriate level of depth? Have you looked at a variety of sources?

The CRAAP Test for Evaluating Sources- By California State University Authority- The Source of the Information Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor? What are the source’s credentials & affiliations? Is the source qualified to write on this topic? Does the source offer contact information? Does the URL reveal anything about credentials? Accuracy- Reliability, truthfulness, correctness Where does the information come from? Is there information supported by the evidence? Has the information been reviewed or arbitrated? Can you verify the info from another source? Does the language/ton seem unbiased? Are there spelling or grammar errors?

The CRAAP Test for Evaluating Sources- By California State University Purpose- The reason the information exists What is the purpose of the information (to persuade, to entertain, teach, sell, or inform) Do the authors make their purpose clear? Is the information fact, opinion, or propaganda? Does the point of view appear objective/impartial? Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases. If the sources passes the CRAAP test, then the source is good and you are ready to proceed!

Domain names and their Meanings .edu: Educational institutions. However, student sites from these are often posted on the same domain name. Usually, a student site that follows the .edu domain name with this thing (~). It is called a tilde. It will also be followed by the student’s department’s identification. Also, just because it is a student’s site, doesn’t mean it is bad, it just signifies it is an individual’s work. .com and .biz: Companies. This doesn’t help in determining biases at all, but are a clue to what might motivate the writing of an article.

Domain names and their Meanings .org: Non profit organizations. What is the purpose/mission of these organizations? Special interest groups and think tanks often use this domain. Some are purely public interest groups (Doctor’s Without Boarders, Denby High School) but others are widely, biased, partisan groups (The Cutting Edge, Americans For Prosperity) .net: Internet organizations and companies .info: Sources of information. Note how/why the information is being gathered.

Domain names and their Meanings .de, .ze, .uk, etc- Governments of different countries carry domain names of their own (such as .gov for the US government). If you find one, it could be a government site; however all of this really means is that the government controls the domain assignments. Greece (.gr) for instance, outsourced its registry to a technological university which in turn allows any website using Greek characters to buy a domain name with a .gr. By the way, many of the poorer governments have had web space donated to them by US universities, largely through UN sponsorship. So, it just more and more complicated.

Domain names and their Meanings Free web hosters, Angelfire, tripod.com, geocites, yahoo.com, weebly.com, wix.com, godaddy.com and the list goes on and on….: Allows any one to purchase a website free or so cheaply that any one can do it. The information may be good, but check these especially carefully. The real point… you have no idea who is authoring web content. So make especially sure to do the CRAAP test on a website.