I chose to include the journal entry on credibility, because a student’s ability to evaluate

credible work determines the validity of her research and the effectiveness of her writing. This
assignment was given prior to our research project; when asked “what makes a source credible?”
I responded that “a source is credible if it ends in .edu and is written by credible authors. News
sources like NYtimes and WSJ are credible.” In hindsight, popular news sources are bias and
utilize pathos to influence readers. Moreover, they are not written by experts and are not
peer-reviewed. Now, I know that peer-reviewed sources are the most credible, because they are
cross-examined by experts within a particular field. This journal entry demonstrates how my
ability to identify credible sources has improved. Identifying credible sources is a valuable skill I
will use throughout college.