Evaluating Information - ENGL 1101 - Professor Litchfield - Fall 2024 - Library Guides at Georgia Southern University

What is a scholarly source?

Differentiating between scholarly & non-scholarly/popular information

Scholarly information can be described as information by and for scholars or academic audiences. Scholarly information is peer-reviewed, a process by which other scholars fact check the work to ensure accuracy. Popular or non-scholarly information, on the other hand, does is not peer-reviewed, nor is it written by an expert/scholar of the topic being discussed.

Characteristics of non-scholarly/popular information:

Contains images, often attention-grabbing images
Littered with ads or advertisements
Author is not an expert in the field being discussed

Example Link: Popular

Example Link: Scholarly

Scholarly vs. Popular Infomration

Scholarly vs Popular Sources

Differences Between Scholarly and Popular Sources
Characteristic	Scholarly Sources	Popular Sources
Author	Experts in the field	Journalists or general writers
Audience	Academics, researchers, students	General public
Language	Specialized terminology	General vocabulary
Review Process	Peer-reviewed	Edited, not peer-reviewed
Citations	Extensive references	Few or no citations
Purpose	Share original research	Inform or entertain
Format	Structured (abstract, methodology, results, etc.)	Varied, often informal

Don't have a CCOW when evaluating your sources!

CCOW Source Evaluation Method

Evaluate Your Sources
CCOW Element	Description	Questions to Ask
Credentials	Evaluate the author's qualifications and expertise.	Who created this information? What are their qualifications? Are they an expert in the field?
Claims	Examine the statements made and evidence provided.	What specific claims are being made? Is there evidence to support these claims? Are the claims logical and consistent?
Objectives	Consider the purpose behind the information.	Why was this information created? Who is the intended audience?
Worldview	Analyze the broader perspective of the information.	What assumptions underlie this information? How does it fit into the larger discourse on the topic? Are alternative viewpoints considered?

CCOW is the intellectual property of Anthony Ta rdiff of Gonzaga University, and I am using his work via a Creative Commons License (CC-BY).

Logical Fallacies

Common Logical Fallacies

Logical Fallacies Examples
Fallacy Type	Description	Example
Ad Hominem	Attacking the person instead of the argument.	"You can't trust Javier's opinion on climate change; he's not even a scientist!"
Straw Man	Misrepresenting someone's argument to make it easier to attack.	"People who support space exploration want to waste money while people starve on Earth."
Appeal to Ignorance	Claiming something is true because it hasn't been proven false.	"No one has ever proven UFOs aren't real, so they must exist."
False Dilemma	Presenting two options as the only possibilities.	"You're either with us or against us."
Slippery Slope	Arguing that a small step will lead to a chain of events resulting in a significant impact.	"If we allow students to redo their assignments, soon they'll expect to retake entire courses."
Circular Reasoning	When the conclusion of an argument is used as a premise.	"This movie is the best because it’s my favorite."
Red Herring	Introducing irrelevant information to distract from the main issue.	"Why worry about climate change when there are so many homeless people in our city?"