COMM 1270: Arguments

Why Sources Matter

Last semester, Kaylee, was surprised by her professor's COMM 1270 research requirements on the Argument assignments. She found it difficult to choose the references or types of sources her professor would rather see, than what she was finding (and she didn't like the grades she was getting). When she stopped by the Library, I helped her learn how to identify good sources of information. This is what I shared:

Credibility or Evidence

Credibility means that the source relies upon facts, the author has credentials or has asked an expert, and the source is reviewed by others (peer reviewed or double-checked) to ensure that all is correct. Usually this means the claims are backed up by evidence (footnotes to reliable studies or statistics, etc.). When I told Kaylee about this definition, her eyes glazed over! Sometimes definitions are not helpful.  When claims are made (assertions of truth), evidence needs to be available to support it. A more helpful way to think about this idea is to ask questions about your sources, such as these:

• WHO provides the information?  Do the authors have expertise or credentials?  Or did they consult with experts?
• WHAT information are the authors presenting? What about it makes it reliable?  Are sources given?
• WHY are the authors sharing this information?  What is its purpose?  Is there any bias?
• WHERE did you find the information?  Is it associated with a reliable institution or could it be from a fringe group?

What if you still don't feel confident in choosing credible sources?

You should probably look at the source type, since all sources are published differently and this can affect their credibility. A social media post from an unknown person cannot be considered reliable, for instance. Here's a summary of the different source types you might use in COMM 1270, if you are using the Library databases:

• Scholarly (or peer-reviewed) journal articles: an article that's been double-checked by scholars before publication
• Academic books: a book that has been reviewed by an editor who is a scholar and that follows academic standards
• Trade or professional-related articles: an article by a professional in the field designed to help the average worker get information 
• Magazine articles and newspaper articles: written by professional journalists in the field (according to proper journalism ethics)

Evidence & Claims

In COMM 1270 you'll want to remember...

• A Claim is something that is stated as a true thing or what you want your readers or hearers to believe. Such as: It rained last night.
• The Evidence is the proof that is offered that supports the Claim. Such as: The streets are all wet this morning.

Finding Good Sources

Did you know that the most credible sources often cost money to view?

This can cause problems when you research because less credible sources on the Web are easier to access and often come up first in results. Our Library pays publishers to let you read the most credible sources for FREE with our Library Databases, so it's worthwhile to use them.

What about Using A.I. for research?

Please do not use ChatGPT or other A.I. generators to find sources with references. Your professors and I have found that all A.I. tools, are so focused on giving you an answer that they make up references and citations (see a research article about it). When this happens, the A.I. tool won't be able to tell you that it is lying. This is a big problem if you start your research in an A.I. tool because it might set you up to fail!

It's better to use Library databases and make sure that you are referencing actual research!  

Next Steps

Continue working through this page to practice finding good evidence for claims or go to the next tab to learn some more on how to find credible sources.

Practice Looking for Evidence of Claims

One of the things that Kaylee and I worked on was practicing looking for evidence of claims. We did this to make sure that Kaylee could use sources effectively in her final paper. Now it's your turn!

1. Skim the article (Assessing the oxidative potential of dust from Great Salt Lake) about dust and the Great Salt Lake--aim to take only 5 minutes on looking over the article (that's how much time researchers budget to skim articles).
2. Take 5 minutes to answer these questions:
   1. What is one claim that this article makes? ___________________
   2. What is the evidence for this claim? ________________________
   3. Is this evidence connected to a citation or reference? ____________
3. If you have the time and or are working with others compare your results:
   1. Did you all choose the same claims/evidence? _______________
   2. What are all of the claims that you found? ___________________
   3. How are these claims related? ____________________________

FYI: This article is a good example of a quality resource that could be used in an assignment.