Academic Writing

BS ENGLISH 3rd SEMESTER

Topic: Evaluating Information Sources

Teacher: Mansoor Qayyum

 Evaluation information Sources
• Evaluate: To evaluate means to determine worth or value. To
evaluate also means “to judge,” that is, to make decisions about
whether something is right or wrong, good or bad, fair or unfair.
• Evaluate your decisions: Withdraw from a course
– You need to evaluate the positive & negatives
– Which subject to allocate more time?
• Evaluating your progress: Monitoring your progress
– What skills have you mastered?
– What effect these skills have had on you grades?
 Evaluation information Sources
• Evaluation is a measurement of worth:
– How important is this to me?
– How much will this help or hurt me?
• To make evaluations we need a standard
– To evaluate the purchase of a car, your standards might
include the car’s safety, dependability, and affordability.
– As a college student, you can evaluate what you learn by
applying three basic standards: reliability, objectivity and
usefulness.
(Reading Critically before Writing)
An evaluation is a measurement of worth. “How much will this help or hurt
me?” and “How important is this to me?” are questions you can ask when
making evaluations. To make evaluations, you need a standard to go by. To
evaluate the purchase of a car, your standards might include the car’s safety,
dependability, and affordability. There are many criteria, or standards, by
which you can make sound evaluations. As a college student, you can evaluate
what you learn by applying three basic standards: reliability, objectivity and
usefulness.
 Reliability (Reading Critically before Writing)

To evaluate a source for reliability, determine its credibility and

trustworthiness by finding answers to three questions:
 Who says so?
 What are his or her credentials?
 How does he or she know?
Reliability (Reading Critically before Writing)

• Primary sources are more reliable than secondary sources

• Primary source: First hand knowledge, direct source of
knowledge
• Secondary source: A secondary source is an interpretation of a
primary source.
• Example:
– Prime Minister’s Speech (Primary source)
– Newscaster’s summary (secondary source)
Reliability (Reading Critically before Writing)
Another way to evaluate reliability is to check an author’s background or
credentials. Suppose you are interested in learning about global
warming. A paper written by a respected scientist with expertise in
climatology or publications from organizations such as NASA and the
National Weather Service would be reliable sources of information. On
the other hand, a political activist’s blog, the publications of an
environmental group, or the commentary of someone who is well
known in his or her own field but who has no scientific expertise in
global warming might be interesting to read but neither reliable nor
objective. Instructors try to select textbooks that are reliable sources of
information, written by experts in their fi elds. A textbook’s title page
may list the author’s college or other affiliation.
Reliability (Detail of the previous)
As you read, research, and listen to lectures, remember that primary
sources are more reliable than secondary sources. A primary source is
a firsthand or direct source of information. A secondary source is an
interpretation of a primary source. For example, if the president of the
United States addresses the nation on television, the text of his speech
is a primary source. If a newscaster summarizes what the president
said, the summary is a secondary source. A newspaper account of the
president’s speech is also a secondary source unless the newspaper
reprints the entire text of the speech. Have you ever listened to a
reporter’s summary of a speech and wondered whether that reporter
had heard the same speech you heard? A secondary source is only as
reliable as the person who interprets the primary source.
Objectivity (Reading Critically before Writing)

To evaluate a writing for objectivity, determine

how evenhanded, unemotional, and free from
bias it is by asking and answering three questions:
• What is the author’s or speaker’s purpose?
• Are all sides of the issue presented or
acknowledged?
• Is the language free of slanted or manipulative
words and phrases?
Objectivity (Reading Critically before Writing)

If an author’s or speaker’s purpose is to inform, then you

should expect factual details and reasoned opinions. You
should also expect fair treatment of differing viewpoints and
language that is free of words and phrases designed to
provoke emotional reactions that could cloud your
judgment. Although most authors and commentators—
including textbook authors and college lecturers—would
probably say that they are objective, some may have a
motive, viewpoint, or bias that influences their choice of
words or examples.
An author or speaker who has something to gain by a change in
readers’ beliefs or behaviors will not be as objective as one who has
nothing to gain. Those whose purpose is to persuade may write
forcefully in favor of one viewpoint. If they try to persuade fairly, they
will acknowledge other viewpoints. Those who attempt to persuade
unfairly are likely to distort facts, leave out facts, state opinions as if
they were facts, and use manipulative language. Usually they have
something to gain by appealing to your emotions or changing your
beliefs or behavior. Advertisers want your money. The proponents of
various interest groups want your support. Politicians want your vote.
Where self-interest is high, objectivity is low.
 Example of Manipulative Language

Can you spot the manipulative language in these two examples?

 An animal rights activist says, “We must stop the needless torture
of animals in medical experiments that serve only to provide
researchers on college campuses with lucrative grants.”
 A medical researcher says, “No one in our profession sets out to
hurt animals, but some pain and even death may be necessary if,
through our experiments, we can effect cures that will prevent the
loss of human life.”
In the first example, the activist tries to manipulate your
feelings by suggesting that research is an excuse to get grant
money, that animals in experiments are always tortured, and
that the experiments are needless. In the second example, the
researcher denies that anyone in his or her profession would
deliberately cause an animal pain. At the same time, the
researcher suggests that some animal pain or death is
acceptable if it will save human lives. In this example, the
researcher manipulates your thinking so that you must make a
choice: your life or an animal’s life.
Another example:
We go to war to have peace

We go to war to have peace just as we give up

leisure in order to have leisure.
Manipulative language is characterized by simple arguments that seek to explain complex
issues. Read the next two examples.

PASSAGE A

It is becoming impossible to find good candidates willing to run for public

office. A politician’s life is an open book. The would-be candidate for office
must dodge photographers and news reporters lurking in the bushes around
his house, eavesdropping on his conversations in restaurants, and spying on
him through binoculars when he thinks he has escaped from their prying
eyes. If a person has ever taken a drink, smoked a marijuana cigarette, had
a meaningless affair, or cheated on an exam, his chances of winning an
election are compromised. The press has gone too far. Everyone, even a
political candidate, is entitled to a private life.
 Passage B
As soon as someone runs for election, it is understood that she gives up
her right to privacy. Indeed, the U.S. Constitution guarantees no one a
right to privacy. We the public have a right to know what to expect from
those who seek office. Cheating on one’s husband or on an exam is not
the issue. The real issue is whether we can trust a person who has a
history of dishonesty or poor judgment. We want our elected officials to
be responsible people. Therefore, the press performs a valuable public
service by exposing candidates’ indiscretions.
Both passages oversimplify the issues their proponents
raise. Both authors manipulate your thinking by appealing
to your emotions instead of to your reasoning.

 Identify words or phrases in passages a and b that

appeal to readers’ emotions and manipulate their
feelings.
Usefulness (Reading Critically before Writing)

To evaluate the usefulness of what you are learning,

consider what you have already gained from it. Has it
improved your understanding of the subject? Have you
gained a skill or knowledge you can use now or in the
future? Can you relate the knowledge or skill to your
course objectives? Has the information made you more
interested in the topic it covers? If you answered no to
all of these questions, then try to figure out what is
missing and what you might need to learn next.
How to Evaluate Website Content
How do you evaluate a website for usefulness? For that
matter, how can you tell if the information provided on a
website is reliable or objective? Evaluating online resources
is especially difficult, because on the Internet, anything goes.
Anyone can post information on a website, and much of the
information available on any given topic is not very useful or
reliable.
• Quiz 2

• What are the three basic standards of evaluating

information sources?