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CMM 308 - Persuasive Communication: Evaluate Your Sources

This guide is intended to assist students in CMM 308 Persuasive Communication class to effectively research for their assignments.

IF I APPLY

IF I APPLY - A Source Evaluation Checklist

We often seek information that confirms our own thoughts and feelings towards a topic, but this is not research. Research and learning come from finding sources that speak to the truth of a topic, no matter how uncomfortable it is. 

Only by keeping personal biases in check can you begin to vet information for credibility.

The following steps will help you find sources that are credible and reliable in your research processes. 

Personal steps (Part 1)

  • Identify emotions attached to the topic.
  • Find unbiased reference sources for a proper review of the topic.

  • Intellectual courage to seek authoritative voices on a topic that may be outside of the thesis. 

Source steps (Part 2)

  • Authority established. Does the author have education and experience in that field?
  • Purpose/Point of view of source. Does the author have an agenda beyond education or information?
  • Publisher? Does the publisher have an agenda?
  • List of sources (bibliography). Is the evidence sound?
  • Year of publication.  Does the year of publication affect the information?

Evaluating Websites

Finding information on the Internet is easy; finding good, accurate information is the challenge. Anyone can write anything on the Internet. That's why it is very important to verify that a web site is authentic before using information from it or citing it in your project. Check out these guides: