Title: LIR 30: Week 4
1LIR 30 Week 4
-
- Evaluating Annotating Sources
2Class Announcements
- Class notes page, lots of stuff
- Lab rules
- Class questions
3This Weeks Class
- Starting on p.4 of Class Reader section for Weeks
34 - Evaluating information sources
- How to write annotations for the final project
4Evaluating Sources
5Why bother?
- Knowledgeable perspective
- Discern between reliable questionable
information - Hone in on useful information
- Internet environment
6Evaluating Sources the Basics
- Lets recap
- Primary or secondary resource?
- Objective or Subjective?
- (New!) Popular or scholarly?
7Primary
8Primary Sources Review
- First-hand accounts or direct sources
- the horses mouth
9Pack on My Back
- Example of a Primary Source
10- I jumped out of bed and pulled on my pants.
Everybody in the house was trying to save as much
as possible. - I tied my clothes in a sheet. With my clothes
under my arm and my pack on my back, I left the
house with the rest of the family. Everybody was
running north. People were carrying all kinds of
crazy things. A woman was carrying a pot of soup,
which was spilling all over her dress.
11Citing Electronic Primary Sources
- Citation example in Reader
- How to Cite Electronic Primary Sources from the
Library of Congress - http//memory.loc.gov/learn/start/cite/index.html
- Use the general MLA format for non-electronic
sources - http//www.santarosa.edu/library/guides/mla.pdf
12Secondary sources Review
- Interpretations or reviews of research
- Represents majority of sources
13Example of a Secondary Source History of the
Great Chicago Fire
- Upward of 500 families were fleeing from the
seeming wrath to come. The streets were almost
impassable
14Example of a Secondary Source History of the
Great Chicago Fire
- Then the fire reached over the street, and while
that terrible southwestern wind howled onward
Then it got into the lumber yards and into the
railroad shops, and the round houses were soon
wrapped ill its dead embrace. - Citation examples in class Reader
15Objective
16Objective Information Review
- Factual, undistorted by emotion or personal bias
- Source can be objective, even with subjective
quotes or subject matter
17Subjective Information Review
- Conclusions based on personal opinions,
background - Does not include conclusions based on research,
study!
18Popular
19Popular Sources Review
- Intended for general audiences, not experts
- Usually no in-depth analysis or research
20Scholarly Resources Review
- Audience with background in the field
- In-depth treatment of specific aspect of topic
- Peer review
21Popular vs. Scholarly
- Colino, Stacey. Six Surprising Reasons You're
Not Losing Weight.  Redbook Jan 2005 44-46 - Abstract Colino explores six reasons of weight
gain despite best efforts to lose it. Among
others, researchers from Deakin University in
Australia found that people who watched between
one and two-and-a-half hours of TV per day were
93 percent more likely to be overweight than
those who watched less than an hour per day.
- Dunstan, D., Salmon, J., Owen, N., Armstrong,
T. et al. Physical Activity and Television
Viewing in Relation to Risk of Undiagnosed
Abnormal Glucose Metabolism in Adults. Â Diabetes
Care. Â 27.11Â Â (2004) 2603-10 - Abstract Dunstan et. all seek to assess the
associations of physical activity time and
television time with risk of "undiagnosed"
abnormal glucose metabolism in Australian adults.
Their findings suggest a protective effect of
physical activity and a deleterious effect of
television time on the risk of abnormal glucose
metabolism in adults. Population strategies to
reduce risk of abnormal glucose metabolism should
focus on reducing sedentary behaviors and
increasing physical activity.
22Scholarly sources
- appropriate for college papers!
23Evaluating Sources
24Criteria for Evaluating All Sources START (The
Fab Five)
- Scope/Coverage
- Treatment/Reliability
- Authority
- Relevancy
- Timeliness/Currency
25Not so much a checklist
26Strategies for Evaluating Scope/Coverage
- Whats it all about whats covered?
- Table of contents
- Index
- Intended audience?
27Strategies for Evaluating Scope/Coverage
- How is topic covered broad overview or specific
subtopic? - Graphics, tables, statistical information?
- Chapters (books), sections (articles), pages
(website)
28Scope/Coverage Example
- Whitby Museum James Cook Web Site
- Excellent site for Cooks early days
- Coverage does not include his famous voyages
29Strategies for Evaluating Treatment/Reliability
- A toughie!
- Sources cited, complete bibliography?
- Statistics, references cited?
- Information valid, well-researched or
questionable, unsupported by evidence? - Intent of the source?
30(No Transcript)
31An Expert?
- Demand more from your sources!
- A better example
- lthttp//blogs.princeton.edu/wri152-3/f05/eharwood/
degas_turns_his_back.htmlgt
32Evaluating Authority
- Authors background
- Expert in his/her field?
- Specific credentials, degrees in the subject?
- Training, education, experience in field?
- Other works by author in field?
- Publisher a known publishing house, university
press, professional organization?
33Strategies for Evaluating Authority
- Where to find information about an author
- Periodicals
- End or beginning of article text
- Contributors page
- Click on authors name in online database
- Books
- Book jacket, introduction or notes
- Check online databases
- Online search
- Website
- About Us information
- Check linking pages Alexa
34Evaluating Authority
- Example, for a source about Seasonal Affective
Disorder - Joe Schmo has a PhD. in Environmental Psychology
from Really Big University. His research in the
area of S.A.D. began in 1982. His published
works include the books Rain, Rain Go Away and
Stormy Weather. He is currently an instructor at
Small But Prestigious University and provides
commentary on the Weather Channel.
35Authority Example
- FactCheck.org - Annenberg Political Fact Check
- Unusually detailed About Us section
- Includes information about site, funding, staff
36Strategies for Evaluating Relevancy
- How does it answers your questions?
- How does it fill your information need?
- Why is it right for your project?
- Should fit parameters of your project
- If not, pick another source
37Strategies for Evaluating Timeliness/Currency
- Age of information?
- Up-to-date for topic?
- New discoveries, or related events taken place?
- Does it matter?
- Topic changing quickly or fairly stable,
requiring more background information?
38Timeliness/Currency Example
- http//www.bartleby.com/107/pages/page1292.html
Interesting source, but not appropriate for
current information!
39In-Class Worksheet
- Evaluating an Information Source
40Evaluation Exercise
- Groups of 3-4 Include your names!
- Review source, complete worksheet
41Homework for Next Week
42Evaluating Sources
- Establishing Points of View
43Points of View
- Very difficult to eliminate from human
communication
44Points of View
- Examples
- Bias
- Spin
- Propaganda
45Intent of Source
- Commercial
- Persuasion
- Spin
- Propaganda
Doesnt necessarily mean information is faulty
Not quid pro quo
Rather, a factor or indicator
46Bias From Both Sides
- Information source
- Authors opinion or point of view that may
influence the presentation or content of
information source - easier to spot when you disagree!
- Reader/Viewer/Listener
- Preference or inclination inhibiting impartial
judgment - Partiality preventing objective consideration of
issue
47Spin
- From pbs.org
- The particular interpretation or emphasis
applied to information to enhance the public
image of, or to minimize political damage to, a
politician. - Applies to organizations, groups
- Generally used to sway public opinion
- Uses selective evidence/facts to support
48Propaganda
- In The Research Process, Bolner and Poirer define
propaganda as
- Material that is systematically distributed to
advocate a point of view or a strongly held
interest on an issue.
49Propaganda
- May play on emotions of reader/viewer/listener
- Fear
- Weakness, helplessness
- Uses emotionally charged words
- Highly subjective
- May appear to be based on fact
50How to Evaluate Information Validity
51Evaluating for Information Validity
- Facts check multiple sources
- Data check source, methodology
- Research results
- Read methodology carefully
- Examine data
- Graphics
- Tables, charts, etc.
52Checking Research
- From Gender and the Internet by Hiroshi Ono and
Madeline Zavodny -  Social Science Quarterly, March 2003.
53Check the Research
- Objective This article examines whether there
are differences in men's and women's use of the
Internet and whether any such gender gaps have
changed in recent years. - Methods We use data from several surveys during
the period 1997-2001 to show trends in Internet
usage
54What would you check next?
55Check the Research
- We use several data sets from different points
in time during 1997-2001. - Multiple data sets give a more complete picture
of Internet usage patterns each survey asks
slightly different questions about Internet
activities. - Identifies surveys
56Check the Research, cont.
- Results Women were significantly less likely
than men to use the Internet at all in the
mid-1990s, but this gender gap in being online
disappeared by 2000. However, once online, women
remain less frequent and less intense users of
the Internet. - Concepts unclear? Check definition and
measurement method
57Though it takes timethis kind of detective work
- provides details for your annotations
58Annotations
- They Make Life Worth Living
59General Guidelines for Annotations
- In your Reader and online
- http//online.santarosa.edu/homepage/jfilkins/anno
tations.html - Note about online version
60What is an Annotated Bibliography?
- List of citations to books, articles and
documents (e.g. sources) - Followed by brief (200-250 words) descriptive and
evaluative paragraph the annotation - Informs reader of the relevance, accuracy, and
quality of sources cited
61Annotations vs. Abstracts
- Abstracts
- Purely descriptive summaries often found at the
beginning of scholarly journal articles or in
periodical indexes
- Annotations
- Descriptive and critical
- Expose the author's point of view, authority
- Evaluate reliability, timeliness of information
- Relevance to your research
62Before Writing Your Annotation
- Locate books, periodicals, documents
- Sources should support all aspects of your topic
- Examine and review, choose works that provide a
variety of perspectives on your topic
63Before Writing Your Annotation
- Books
- Not necessary to read in entirety
- Read or use scanning technique
- Periodical and Internet sources
- Must be read completely
- No newspaper articles or book reviews
- Cite each book, article or document using MLA
style
64Now youre ready to write your
65Writing Annotations
66Annotation Workshop
- Dont write a review!
- Using separate piece of paper, write down 5
criteria - Scope/Coverage
- Treatment/Reliability
- Authority
- Relevancy
- Timeliness/Currency
67Remember
- Annotation is subjective but information should
be subjective!
68The Final Project!
69What will the final project look like?
- 5 sources
- 5 citations
- 5 annotations
- Link to mock-up available on Lecture Notes Page
70Homework for Next Week
- Read through class reader section for Weeks 5 5
- Evaluating Information Sources sheet