Credible sources can vary radically
Classroom instructors can set up learners for success in the research and writing process when they give learners a clear sense of what constitutes "credible" and "authoritative" in a specific course (and for a specific assignment). Context (and, to some degree, privilege) determines what's valid, appropriate, authoritative. We oversimplify (and behave inauthentically) when we suggest evaluating sources is anything short of complicated.
Sample lessons and learning activities:
- Thinking Critically About AuthorityOffers a series of questions for interrogating the characteristics of authority and credibility (e.g., author qualifications and reader biases). From Burkhardt, 2016 [Full book linked below].
- Evaluating Different Types of Information SourcesProvides a structured approach for choosing appropriate and reliable information, with a focus on different publication types (i.e., newspapers versus magazines versus journals). From Burkhardt, 2016 [Full book linked below].
- Comparing InformationDemonstrates how to compare and contrast information offered by different authors on a topic. (And evaluating in order to select the "best" information). From Burkhardt, 2016 [Full book linked below].
- Everyone’s an expert on somethingBy reflecting on their own expertise in a particular area, students can better understand how they evaluate information as credible and authoritative.
- Demystify credible sources (scholarly, popular, or otherwise)This NIH website provides clear, concise descriptions of the components of a scholarly article. An instructor-led guided tour of examples of credible sources (scholarly articles or otherwise) can go a long way toward helping students understand how to read, evaluate, and interact with sources.
- Article guided tour activityThis worksheet can help instructors lead an in-class guided tour of scholarly articles. Also includes suggestions for students learning to read scholarly articles more efficiently.
Sample assignment prompts:
- Jekyll & Hyde, Holmes & Watson (a very different compare/contrast prompt)
- Compare and contrast two categories of sources on the same topic (e.g., newspaper versus scholarly article; blog versus tweet). But rather than asking students to compare and contrast the viewpoints, use the similarities and differences to clarify and reinforce how "credible" plays out in the context of the specific course. For example, when is a newspaper's discussion more fitting than a scholarly article?
Support for planning info skills teaching
Teaching Information Literacy Reframed by ISBN: 9780838914526Publication Date: 2016-06-02A useful guide for classroom instructors and faculty alike. Focuses on providing classroom exercises and homework activities to improve students' understanding of information behaviors and practices, including source evaluation, in-text citations, concept/source synthesis, and more. The book's full list of learning activities can be found here: https://bit.ly/BurkhardtExercises
Teaching Information Literacy Threshold Concepts by ISBN: 9780838987711Publication Date: 2015-06-01Although written by and marketed to librarians, its lesson plans are even more effective in the hands of classroom instructors who are trying to cultivate students' information behaviors and practices.
