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To stress the quality of sources and
research, the papers must
include in the bibliography an
assessment of the authoritative value of every source. This
assessment
should appear in curly
brackets, "{}", at the end of each bibliographic
reference.
The assessment should characterize the
source according to the following criteria for every reference.
(Note: for guidance on making these judgments, please see the sources
listed on the Evaluating Information page.)
- What is the level of authority and impartiality:
- scholarly primary source (as in academic journals),
- scholarly secondary source (as in quality college
textbooks,
review articles),
- distinguished news (as in New York Times, Economist),
- popular news (as in Time Magazine, People, Daily News,),
or
- unrestricted (any writing not subject to editorial review
or
any controls meant to
enforce impartiality and accuracy, including sensationalist or
inflammatory texts).
- What was the publication route:
- print,
- print via the internet in its original complete form
(e.g.
articles available through
ProQuest or print newspapers available on line),
- print modified and edited into web pages (as in excerpts
from a book presented on a
web page), or
- internet publication only
- If the source is used for evidence, such as
research
results or opinion polls, you also need to
characterize the authenticity and reputableness of the evidence.
- authoritative: impartial, scientific, consensus (multiple
sources)
- reputable: professional but not necessarily impartial,
nor
multiple sources
- apparently credible: seemingly accurate, but lacking
credentials and support needed to
eliminate doubt, no strong contrary evidence known
- plausible: of interest, as it affects the argument, but
authenticity unknown
- undependable: speculation, questionable claims of
advocates,
and the like
- Examples
- {secondary scholarly; print via internet; reputable}
- {popular news; quoted on web pages; apparently credible}
- {primary scholarly; print} (not used for evidence)
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