Choose the Best Info: Apply Authority
Choose the Best Info: Apply Authority
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Transcript:
This short Library video will help you evaluate your information sources for Authority.
What is Authority?
Authority is the trustworthiness of a source. Based on the credibility and qualifications of the author.
Anyone can publish information. Just because something is published does not necessarily mean that the author is an expert.
There are some key things to look for when evaluating your source for authority. Use these questions to evaluate your source and decide if it is authoritative.
Who is the Author?
What are their Academic or Professional credentials? What else have they written? Are they an expert? Sometimes it helps to do a web search on them using a search engine like Google. Check to see if there is a way to contact the author (email or phone number?)
Who is the Publisher?
Do they publish a lot of information on this topic?
Is it a University press?
Is the publisher a professional organization or association?
Is it self-published? Did the author publish it themselves?
What does the website tell you? (if you’re looking at online source)
What does the Domain name tell you? Who is the website author?
A Web site can belong to a person, a commercial company, an academic institution, a government agency, a nonprofit organization or it might be a country specific site. The domain suffix provides you some clues about what type of website it is, but it is still important that you carefully evaluate each source.
Who do they represent?
Does the author or source represent a group, organization, institution, corporation or government?
What are their goals and values?
Do they have goals or values that might influence the information source you’re evaluating?
Anyone can publish information. Evaluate your information sources for Authority to determine credibility and reliability.
To be appropriate for your assignment the information you use should be authoritative.
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This concludes the library video on evaluating your sources for Authority.
