Explain how to determine the credibility of sources of information Essay

Explain how to determine the credibility of sources of information including institutions, organizations, agencies, periodicals, and other resources - Essay Example As it has been observed, the real strength of a student’s writing rests in large part on the quality of research informing his or her argument (Engle, 17). It is thus important to recognize the types of resources used for instance peer and non peer reviewed articles. Peer reviewed articles refer to those articles read by subject experts before being published in a journal (Engle, 22). These articles need to pass through the review process as a way of ensuring that the published articles exhibit the highest quality in their fields. On the other hand, non peer reviewed articles are those articles that have not been revised by an expert or passed through the review process (Engle, 24). There are a few differences that exist between peer reviewed articles and non peer reviewed articles for instance, while peer reviewed articles are closely checked to ensure they are correct unlike non peer reviewed articles. Additionally, peer reviewed articles are given more authority as compared to non peer reviewed articles. Peer reviewed articles hold under scrutiny of one’s peers, who are considered experts in similar fields. Non peer reviewed articles allows for any type of information to get out into the media, especially onto the internet, without bei ng scrutinized (Engle, 27). Considering the fact that a lot of non peer reviewed information passes through to the media, especially periodicals and magazines, it is important to determine the credibility of sources of information. There are various ways in which one can determine the credibility of sources for instance checking the domain name or the home page. A person can also look for who the author of the particular article is, and ensure whether or not they can find out about that individual or organization (Engle, 29). It is also important to determine the type of site one is considering, for instance; if