Evaluating Sources

Introduction

On Tuesday you identified and summarized information from one or more sources on a method used to address the issues associated with Simpson’s Paradox. Today you will review the work of another group with a focus on evaluating the source(s) they identified.

There are three parts to today’s activity, you will work on Parts 1 and 2 with your previous partner and another group that you’ll be paired with. You will then go on to complete Part independently.

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Part 1 - General Review

To begin, I’d like you spend 10-15 minutes on a general review of the group you were paired with. This review should focus on two things:

1. Clarity of the summary
2. Search strategy and rationale

For #1:

• You should begin by identifying the main topic of the summary and paraphrasing your understanding of it based upon what the group has written. For example, you might write “The group identifies random assignment of the primary explanatory variable as a strategy to prevent Simpson’s paradox in experimental data collection. Under the random assignment, each assigned group will on average have an identical distribution of every potential confounding variable, thereby ensuring that there will be no imbalances that give rise to Simpson’s Paradox”.
• You should go on to identify any points that are unclear to you, or that you think could be phrased more succinctly
• You should finish by checking if the group used a direct quote and paraphrasing/summarizing, whether their use was effective, and if they used proper mechanics in doing so (ie: proper citation, formatting, etc.)

For #2:

• You should identify 1-2 things you liked about their searching strategies
• You should identify and briefly discuss 1-2 things you might suggest they do in future searches

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Part 2 - Source Evaluation

Next, I’d like you to briefly answer a series of questions about a source used by the group you are reviewing. If the group you are reviewing used multiple sources, please address the following for the source you believe they made the most extensive use of. For each of the following (#1-3), briefly record a response containing your answers to the questions beneath each header.

1. Identify the publisher and the author(s).
   • Who is the author(s) affiliated with? (ie: a university, a media organization, a research lab, etc.)
   • Who is the publisher?
   • How might the affiliations and motives of the author(s) and publisher have shaped the ways by which information was presented in the piece?
2. Identify the type of source.
   • Is the source original research (primary source), or a review or textbook covering existing work (secondary source)?
   • Was the source peer-reviewed prior to publication?
3. Identify the target audience of the source.
   • Was the author targeting scholars in a particular field? ordinary people? scholars across many fields?
   • Does the source contain so much jargon or mathematical details that you find it difficult to understand?

After answering these questions, come up with your own holistic “quality rating” of the source and a short rationale for that rating.

For example, you might deem the source “excellent” or “reasonable” or “questionable” (I encourage you to come up with your own terms). An “excellent” source might be one that has an author and publisher who you believe are unlikely to make a biased case for their work, has undergone peer review, and is written in a way that you can adequately understand the nuances. Similarly, a “reasonable” source might exhibit positive attributes in two of the three headings mentioned above, etc.

After you’ve finished parts 1 and 2, have one member of your group upload a copy of your records to P-web for completion credit.

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Part 3 - Reflection

While I hoped that this week’s activities deepened your awareness and understanding of Simpson’s Paradox and its consequences, my larger hope is that you’ve learned some useful skills for searching and evaluating high quality information that you can apply to projects and assignments in other courses you are taking. For the final part of today’s activity, I’d like you to pick one of the following prompts and write a 4-6 sentence paragraph reflection.

1. Reflect upon a resource available through the libraries at Grinnell that you see yourself using in the future.
2. A strategy for searching or evaluating information that you had not previously considered but now will.
3. A framework or workflow for searching for reputable information that you intend to use in another one of your courses this semester.

After finishing, upload a copy of your reflection to P-web. Your reflection will be scored holistically for it’s quality, depth/specificity, and adherence to the above guidelines and prompts.