Research and Evaluating Sources Lab
Evaluating Sources Lab
Use the following pages to complete the Research and Evaluating Sources lab.
Links for Images
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Use this link to obtain an image for Part One of the lab.
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You may also use this link to obtain an image for Part One of the lab.
Links to TCC’s Library Databases for Science
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Contains contextual information on today’s most significant science topics in full-text magazines, academic journals, articles, experiments, images, videos, audio files and links to vetted websites.
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College Edition Journals Collection for Health & Life Sciences has journal articles from disciplines including nursing, agriculture, biology, biochemistry, environmental and health sciences, genetics, microbiology, pharmacology, veterinary science, and more.
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Academic Search Premier – Ebscohost
Search for full-text articles on a wide range of topics in 4700 magazines and journals. -
Public Library of Science – PLOS (free resource)
Public Library of Science (PLOS) is a nonprofit, Open Access publisher empowering researchers to accelerate progress in science and medicine by leading a transformation in research communication.
Getting Started
Introduction:
Think of the last time you conducted an online search because you wanted to learn about a particular topic. When you used a search engine to find websites on your topic, thousands of sites were listed for you. How did you decide which links to read? As you were reading, how did you determine whether that website was “good” or not?
It’s important you have the ability to locate reliable information. This activity is aimed to help you critically think about how to evaluate resources and to classify the three types of science articles.
When listening to a person tell a story or reading one yourself, how do you determine if the information is credible or just more “fake news”?
Review the lesson below:
How do you know a source is credible?
- The definition of a credible source can change depending on the discipline, but in general, for academic writing, a credible source is one that is unbiased and is backed up with evidence.
Expectations for SCIENCE Source Materials
Different disciplines can have different expectations for sources of information. In a Business class, it might be OK to use a company website, but that probably wouldn’t work in a Psychology class. Science has specific standards, too. Typically, science classifies sources as one of three categories:
- Peer-reviewed/primary source – Data is published in a scientific, professional journal. The information was rigorously tested and has been evaluated by other researchers in the field for accuracy, objectivity, and validity before being published. This is the method used when scientists are sharing information and current research with others within the scientific community.
- Secondary source – Information is provided as a summary of the data published in primary sources. The goal is to convey information on current research findings to the general public. This method is equivalent to reporting science news in a reliable, unbiased platform that is easier to read than primary sources.
- Opinion/advertisement – These resources express ideas based on opinion rather than scientific data. The ideas expressed could be, but aren’t necessarily, accurate according to current research. The tone of the article is biased and/or persuasive.
Use what you know about evaluating source material and make sure you understand the similarities and differences between these types of science sources.
Quiz: Are You Ready?
Take this Fact and Opinion Quiz to see if you are ready to identify the differences between facts and opinions.
Source Documents (Vaccines)
Skim through the nine (9) documents listed below. The documents are web-based resources.
- Ask yourself if this article is a credible science source or not? How do you know?
- Make a note of which science source category the document belongs in.
Source Documents (CBD Oil)
Skim through the nine (9) documents listed below. The documents are web-based resources.
- Ask yourself if this article is a credible science source or not? How do you know?
- Make a note of which science source category the document belongs in.
Source Documents (Intermittent Fasting)
Skim through the nine (9) documents listed below. The documents are web-based resources.
- Ask yourself if this article is a credible science source or not? How do you know?
- Make a note of which science source category the document belongs in.
Source Documents (Climate Change)
Skim through the nine (9) documents listed below. The documents are web-based resources.
- Ask yourself if this article is a credible science source or not? How do you know?
- Make a note of which science source category the document belongs in.
Source Documents (Bodybuilding Supplements)
Skim through the nine (9) documents listed below. The documents are web-based resources.
- Ask yourself if this article is a credible science source or not? How do you know?
- Make a note of which science source category the document belongs in.
Part One of this lab is adapted from “Fact Opinion or Just Fiction?” by Deanna Mayers, Bonnie Waltz, Tracy Rains is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0/ A derivative from the original work
Part Two and Part Three of this Lab, “Evaluating Sources” by Dr. Ephanie DeBey and Jennifer Hulsey Campbell is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
