Evaluating credibility is a messy, strenuous process, and there are no good shortcuts. You have to think critically to answer all the necessary questions pertaining to credibility. And like it or not, how you evaluate the credibility of someone else's work directly reflects your own academic reputation.
We spent almost half of today's class figuring out ways to improve your credibility analyses, but I thought of one more "shortcut" to avoid.
If you've written a sentence like this -- "This article is credible because I found it through LBC's library's database" -- stop and think for just a minute. Yes, our library provides you access to amazingly credible sources. But, by leaving your credibility analysis at this brief sentence, you're short circuiting the learning process. Our brain is an incredible muscle but it requires exercise and stretching to capture the momentum of true learning!
What happens when you need to assess a source you didn't find through a library database? The old library shortcut won't cut it. Plus, the "R" in CRAAP stands for relevance. Not every source you find through the library's database will definitely be relevant to your research needs.
Find sources. Read critically. Evaluate thoroughly. No shortcuts.
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