ENGL 1102 - Minor (Floyd) - Fall 2024

Who is the author? Are they experts in the subject?

• This means you're looking for the author's credentials and organizational affiliations. You may have to dig around. Search for the author online. Do their credentials match the topic? Is a gardener talking about gardening? Is a librarian talking about research? Or is the librarian talking about gardening, and the gardener talking about research? That matters!
• You're also considering the author's qualifications.  Look at what they do, and what their accomplishments are. What if they're writing about gardening, but don't have a horticulture degree?  Does it matter that they have 25 years of cultivating a successful farm? Sure... IF they're talking about growing crops! They're talking about exotic orchid cultivation? Then maybe not so much. Now think about an author of a book on recent history. Sure, she doesn't have a degree in history, but what if she actually took part in the event being written about? Does that make a difference? You bet!
• Let's think about journalists. What kind of publication do they write for? Does it make a difference if it's the New York Times or the National Enquirer? Which argument would you be more persuaded by? 
• Also keep in mind the journalist's source! Where are they getting the information they're writing about? 
  • Pro Tip: When you are reading an article written by a journalist, do not base your evaluation on just that journalist's opinion.  Make sure that what they write is backed up with credible information from an authority IN THE FIELD which is being written about.  Here's an example: A journalist writes about the discovery of a new form of black hole, and quotes a renowned scientist arguing for one possible effect the new black hole will have on our sun. This person is a medical doctor, not an astrophysicist. So regardless of how solid your journalist's argument is, the argument is not based on an authority in the field of astrophysics, and thus the journalist cannot claim authority either. Oops!

Can they be contacted?

• This one is easy. Can you find information in the source that tells you how to contact the author directly? That's a good thing, and means the author is willing to talk to people about what they have written.

What is the purpose of the source?

• To inform? teach? sell? entertain? persuade? Which of these might be most valuable to you as s source? Do you think a website trying to sell you nutritional products might "spin" their argument in favor of what they sell? Probably so, and that's not great. If an article is trying to teach you something about black holes, might that be more believable? Of course!

Fact or opinion based?

• You need to determine if the article is fact or opinion. This is important. Not everything you read on the internet is true. Not everything you read in an article is true. So you must be able to differentiate fact from opinion.
• Some sources are trying to tell you what is true. Other sources may be trying to persuade you that something is true.
  • Honest sources will let you know they're trying to persuade you, like opinion pages of a newspaper.
  • Less honest sources will try to mask their persuasion. Watch out for those sneaky ones!
• Think about it this way: Is the source on a controversial topic? Does it reflect different sides of that argument? Does it represent all sides equally? Sources that talk about opposing points of view are often better than those that do not.
• It's important that sources of objective and impartial ("Just the facts, ma'am!") Look for political, ideological, cultural, or religious favoritism, and make sure the source isn't trying to score points against "another side".

Are the claims/conclusions supported?

• When the author makes claims or comes to conclusions, make sure he tells you how he came to that conclusion. A good source will let you know where the information came from!
• Make sure, too, that the claim or conclusion is supported with facts you can verify.