Credibility:
The amount of trust you should have in a source of information.
In this tutorial, you will be learning about credibility and the role it plays in the research process. Several aspects of credibility will be explored: visuals, websites, sources, etc. You will be given a checklist to judge the credibility of the information you are investigating. After going through the entire module, you will be given a formative assessment. This assessment must be passed successfully before you can move on from this topic.
Back in the day when we got our information from books and articles, we could be fairly certain that the information in them had been validated (that means, someone checked to make sure it was correct). Books go through publishing houses with editors that go over every word and check every reference. Articles undergo a peer review process where scholars examine the documents of the writers very carefully before it is published. While those things still happen, most of us get our information from the Internet these days. That can be a BIG problem unless we check our sources carefully for credibility.
Anyone, even Mr. Kissling (shown above) can create a blog, wiki or site. It is important to know who is putting information out there and if you can trust them.
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Choose one of the sites below to explore. Spend a few minutes digging around, reading content, checking links, visit sub pages, play videos, etc.
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Use one side of your Determining Credibility Checklist to determine this site's credibility. How does it measure up?
Now, you will test a site on your own. Imagine you are doing research on a topic for a school report. You need good, credible information. Let's find an article/website that you can use.
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Your topic: Should students be able to use Personal Electronic Devices in school?
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Your mission: Find an informational article that passes the credibility checklist.
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Use the back side of your Credibility Checklist to get an article that will work. This checklist, along with your quiz will be your ticket to passing the Credibility Seminar. Good luck!
