BIO1000 - Media Misinformation Source Evaluation

BIO1000

Media Misinformation Source Evaluation Form

Date: Click or tap here to enter text.

1. Author or Media Producer

Part of assessing the credibility of a source is assessing the credibility of the author. Write one or two sentences to address the following questions:

• Use a search engine to research the author. Where do they work and what is their education? Click or tap here to enter text.

• Is the author a researcher in this field? Click or tap here to enter text.

• Has the author been published in other journals? Click or tap here to enter text.

1. Publisher: Organization or Sponsor

Credibility is also dependent on the publisher of the article. There are many ways to publish articles these days, such as organizations, sponsors, academic journals, and more. Write one or two sentences to address the following prompts:

• Who is the publisher? Click or tap here to enter text.

• What else do they publish? This should be located on their website. Click or tap here to enter text.

• What evidence do you have to trust this publisher? Click or tap here to enter text.

• As a rule, it is best to avoid public websites, which end in .com. Does this media end in .org (professional organization), .edu (educational organization), or .gov (government agency)? Click or tap here to enter text.

1. Point of View or Bias

Credible resources generally support an idea, but the idea should not derive from bias. Write one or two sentences to address potential bias.

• Does the author seem biased? Click or tap here to enter text.

• Does the publisher have an obvious bias, such as political or philosophical agendas? Click or tap here to enter text.

1. Intended Audience

Audience is fundamental to the credibility of a resource because the author will be writing directly to this audience. Write one or two sentences addressing the audience of the resource.

• Who is the audience? For example, is the audience a knowledgeable and professional audience in the field, or is the audience a general audience? Click or tap here to enter text.

1. Content

Accuracy of content should be determined before the information is disseminated to others. Write one or two sentences to address the accuracy of the content.

• Is the information covered fact, opinion, or propaganda? Click or tap here to enter text.

• On what did you base your answer? Click or tap here to enter text.

• How do you know if the content is accurate? Click or tap here to enter text.

1. Currency

Research changes and evolves all the time; therefore, current articles are more credible than dated articles. Exceptions to this include articles and concepts that are foundational to a field of study. Write one or two sentences addressing the currency of the article.

• Is this information current? Click or tap here to enter text.

• Is this a resource that is frequently updated, or is this a static resource? Click or tap here to enter text.

Source: Adapted from Capella University Campus website.

 

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