Transcript: Lucia

I think that the most difficult thing about evaluating sources for credibility is searching for bias that may not be intentional. But it is still in the source and that may cause a sway in your opinion. It is very important to look for unintentional bias to maintain accuracy and credibility.

Another difficult thing to do when evaluating sources is using up-to-date information. Some information we find is old and may have information that is not fully correct and has been proven different over time.

I have encountered a few different instances when I struggled with credibility. In my biology class, it is important to use up to date information when we are researching because there are changes in the medical field every single day. I was doing research on the current impacts of the black plague and encountered an article from the early 1900’s that had a lot of helpful information that could be used in specific parts of the paper, such as setting context or in the introduction. However, current information is crucial for answering research questions and discussing things that are not historical. Therefore, I was unable to use it in my research because since then, there has been a lot more information on diseases and prevention of diseases.

Some ways to look out for unintentional bias are by using multiple sources and up-to-date sources, checking the author’s credentials, looking for evidence and sources used, and looking at the language that is used.