ANALYZING YOUR SOURCES:

1
ANALYZING YOUR SOURCES

• Can I really trust what this source has to say?

2
The AABCs of Analysis

• AUTHORITY Who created the source?
• ACCURACY Is the source correct?
• BIAS Does the source only provide one side of
  the issue?
• CURRENCY Is the information in this source
  current and up-to-date?

3
AUTHORITY
4
AUTHORITY

• Who is the AUTHOR of this source?
• Is this person an AUTHORITY, or EXPERT, on this
  particular subject?
• If the source is published by an organization, is
  the organization WELL-KNOWN for dealing with this
  particular topic?

5
(No Transcript)
6
From http//zapatopi.net/treeoctopus

• Address concerns to lyle.zapato_at_gmail.com
• Please see our Tree Octopus FAQs before you
  email us.
• Okay so who is this Lyle Zapato guy?
• Theres a site FAQ page, http//zapatopi.net/faq/,
  which includes a link to the
  authors bio as seen here

7
(No Transcript)
8
Is this person an AUTHORITY?

• What about if you do a Google Search on this
  author, Lyle Zapato? What do you learn?
• Amazon.com Lyle Zapato Books Books "Lyle
  Zapato" ... Aluminum Foil Deflector Beanie
  Practical Mind Control Protection for Paranoids
  by Lyle Zapato
• Lyle Zapato Odeo Search, Discover and Share
  Digital Media from ... Lyle Zapato , a
  Washington-based author and Web publisher,
  invented the tree octopus in 1998. The creature
  is the star of an extensive and hilarious parody
  ...
• Is this person an EXPERT on this topic?

9
ACCURACY
10
ACCURACY

• Is the information from this source ACCURATE?
• Does this source look like it is telling the
  TRUTH?
• Does the source seem to have a lot of spelling,
  grammatical, or factual ERRORS?

11
(No Transcript)
12
From the DHMO.org website

• What are some of the dangers associated with
  DHMO?
• Each year, Dihydrogen Monoxide is a known
  causative component in many thousands of deaths
  and is a major contributor to millions upon
  millions of dollars in damage to property and the
  environment. Some of the known perils of
  Dihydrogen Monoxide are

13
Known Perils of DHMO

• Death due to accidental inhalation of DHMO, even
  in small quantities.
• Prolonged exposure to solid DHMO causes severe
  tissue damage.
• DHMO is a major component of acid rain.
• Gaseous DHMO can cause severe burns.
• Contributes to soil erosion.
• Leads to corrosion and oxidation of many metals.

• Contamination of electrical systems often causes
  short-circuits.
• Exposure decreases effectiveness of automobile
  brakes.
• Found in biopsies of pre-cancerous tumors and
  lesions.
• Often associated with killer cyclones , and in
  hurricanes including deadly storms in Florida,
  New Orleans and other areas.
• Thermal variations in DHMO are a suspected
  contributor to the El Nino weather
  effect.

14
Should DHMO be banned?

• Recently, attention has been paid to the subject
  thanks to an incident in Aliso Viejo, California.
  The city of Aliso Viejo considered banning DHMO
  within its borders. This so-called Aliso Viejo
  Incident was widely reported in the media,
  although the director of DHMO.org, Dr. Tom Way,
  was called a prankster. Note Dr. Tom Way, a
  college professor, is the author.
• Once the Associated Press started circulating
  the story, it became fact, and the valuable
  information being provided by the DHMO.org
  website was deemed to be rubbish rather than an
  honest and unbiased recounting of facts about a
  dangerous, life-endangering chemical compound.

15
PAUSE Think Pair Share!

• Do you think that DHMO should be banned?
• Why or why not?
• Take a moment to think about this, then pair up
  with your neighbor and share your thoughts on
  this vital issue!

16
Is this source ACCURATE?

• Its ACCURATE, but its misleading.
• What is DHMO?
• Can you guess what DHMO really is?
• Its WATER! 2 Hydrogen 1 Oxygen H2O!
• The city of Aliso Viejo
  tried to ban WATER!!!

17
Known Perils of WATER

• Death due to accidental inhalation of WATER, even
  in small quantities.
• Prolonged exposure to solid WATER (aka ICE)
  causes severe tissue damage.
• WATER is a major component of acid rain.
• Gaseous WATER (aka STEAM) can cause severe burns.
  
• WATER contributes to soil erosion.
• WATER leads to corrosion and oxidation of many
  metals (RUST).

• WATER in electrical systems often causes
  short-circuits.
• Exposure to WATER decreases effectiveness of
  automobile brakes.
• WATER is found in biopsies of pre-cancerous
  tumors and lesions.
• WATER is often associated with killer cyclones
  , hurricanes including deadly storms in
  Florida, New Orleans and other areas.
• Thermal variations in WATER are a suspected
  contributor to the El Nino weather effect.

18
BIAS
19
BIAS

• Is this source BIASED towards one side of a
  debate?
• Does this source only cover ONE PERSPECTIVE of
  the topic?
• Does the author use EMOTIONALLY-CHARGED words to
  try to get a reaction out of you?

20
(No Transcript)
21
From http//www.petakids.com/

• Does your school have a student-choice policy
  allowing students the right to refuse to dissect?
  Are there animals being held hostage at your
  school, commonly known as classroom pets or
  hatching experiments? Do your teachers plan
  yearly field trips to the zoo or the circus? Its
  your school, too, and that means that your voice
  counts, so speak up and let your teachers know
  that there are alternatives to animal
  exploitation. And dont forget to recruit your
  classmates to help you tackle these issues! --
  save_animals.html

22
Is this source BIASED?

• PETA uses emotionally-charged words and
  images to try to make their case.
• This source focuses ONLY on the animals and how
  to save them, and doesnt allow for any valid
  uses of animals for food, clothing, testing,
  work, and the like.
• Its okay to use this site, BUT youd need to
  find other sites that show the other side of the
  issue why does animal use or testing occur?

23
CURRENCY
24
CURRENCY

• Is the information in this source CURRENT?
• Is the information in this source kept
  UP-TO-DATE?
• How do you know whether the information in this
  site is RECENT ENOUGH for you to use?

25
From http//www.theatlantic.com
"Climate change" is popularly understood to
mean greenhouse warming, which, it is predicted,
will cause flooding, severe windstorms, and
killer heat waves. But warming could lead,
paradoxically, to drastic cooling a
catastrophe that could threaten the survival of
civilization.
26
(No Transcript)
27
Is this source CURRENT (enough)?

• AUTHOR William H. Calvin is a theoretical
  neurophysiologist at the University of Washington
  at Seattle. Accurate non-biased.
• CITATION The Atlantic Monthly January 1998
  The Great Climate Flip-Flop Volume 281, No. 1
  pages 47 - 64.
• QUESTION What research has been done on climate
  change SINCE 1998? Do you know?

28
PAUSE Think Pair Share!

• Can you remember the AABCs?
• Take a moment to think about this, and try to
  write down the meaning of A, A, B, and C.
• When we tell you to do so, pair up with your
  neighbor and see if they came up with the same
  answers that you did!

29
Remember your AABCs!

• AUTHORITY Who created the source?
• ACCURACY Is the source correct?
• BIAS Does the source only provide one side of
  the issue?
• CURRENCY Is the information in this source
  current and up-to-date?
• If your book, encyclopedia, or web site does not
  meet these criteria, keep looking!!!