Anatomy of an Argument

Part of learning to make informed decisions is gathering credible evidence to support your choice. In order to distinguish between trustworthy and useless evidence, you will need to become scientifically literate with psychological research.

This assignment is designed to help you:
Evaluate sources to determine whether the source is credible
Discover the sources psychologists use to gather information

Here’s How To Do It

Materials:
Article (option 1): “Feeling depressed? This may be the thing you need to feel happier (Hint: It’s not money).” Glamour.
Article (option 2): “Does your teen have a severe anger disorder?” CNN.
Worksheet: Guidelines for Evaluating the Credibility of Sources
Canvas Discussion Board: Unit 4

Instructions:
Choose one of the article titles above that interests you most.
Locate the article online using the title and news source provided in the Materials. (You will have to practice your information literacy skills to find it!)
Read the assignment Rubric
Complete the Guidelines for Evaluating the Credibility of Sources Worksheet in the Unit 4 Module
Post on our Discussion Board
Original
Reply

Worksheet
(Adapted from Jamie J. Peterson and Arturo Sesma, Jr. and the Society for the Teaching of Psychology)

Guidelines for Evaluating the Credibility of Sources

Use the internet to find the answers to these questions. Some of the information may be difficult to find, as secondary research reports do not always include an author, or the author’s name might be common. Websites that end in .org, .edu, and .gov tend to be more credible than sources that end in .com; however, this is not always true. Often the less information that is available, the less credible your source may be.

Source
Who is the author of the media report?  What is this person’s background, what credentials or education does she or he hold, and what articles have they written previously and for whom?

Who conducted the study that is summarized in this media report?  What is this person’s background, what credentials or education does she or he hold, and what articles have they written previously and for whom?

Quality
Is the method of the research study clearly described, including the sample included in the study?

Are statements of fact supported with documented evidence and sources that are authoritative? If yes, copy and paste an example.

What is the goal of this media report? Are there any links in the report to consumable goods or services?

Does the reporter make assumptions and draw conclusions based upon the research study?
Do they appear to be valid and based upon scientific rigor? Why or why not?

Does the author of the media report suggest that the audience take action as a result of the research study? If so, what action?

Does the media report contain objective language that is formal, free of bias, and free of colloquialisms?
If not, what language did they use that was not objective?

Is the media report clearly written, well organized, and free of spelling and grammar errors? Explain your reasoning.

Lectures to revisit: Risk & the Media