Evaluating
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Credibility
Author's Credibility
Credentials: plural noun.
The abilities and experience which make someone
suitable for a particular job or activity, or
proof of someone's abilities and experience
Cambridge Dictionaries
Online, 2003
Do you believe everything you read? Knowing more
about an author can help you judge her or his
credibility.
If you were writing about the relationship
between human activity and the temperature of
the earth, whose work would you choose to
include in your paper? Look for clues that suggest
their level of expertise and/or bias.
In terms of evaluating an author, credentials
include degrees received, titles held, professional
affiliations, years of activity in a field, publication
history, fields of inquiry, and the characteristics
of publications in which their work has appeared.
Publisher's Credibility
Similar to judging an author's credentials, knowing
more about a publishing company can help you understand
their potential biases. Keep in mind that publishing
standards vary for each publishing house. XYZ
Publishing may print anything that will bring
a profit, whereas H. University Press may screen
all information they publish to ensure the validity
of the content, protecting their reputation.
There are several general categories of publishers:
- Commercial publishing houses like Macmillan,
Time/Warner, or Knopf.
- University Presses, like the University of
Texas Press or Texas A&M Press.
- Associations, societies, businesses, industries,
and services that publish their own periodicals,
newsletters, staff training documents, operating
schedules, brochures, etc.
- Governments and intergovernmental bodies,
such as the United Nations.
- Web publishers, which includes anyone with
access to a computer network and a host computer
to store and deliver their publications, including
the "traditional" publishing houses.
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