Academic, popular, news, and social media sources
Overview
This week we will talk about sources. Sources can be categorized in many different ways, including by the author and the context for which it was created. This week, we will learn how to categorize sources by audience (i.e., who is using particular types of sources).
Academic, popular, news, and social media sources are categories that identify sources in terms of the content (the information presented) and audience (individuals or groups for which the information is intended).
Categorizing sources is an important step in the process of evaluating sources to determine if they are appropriate for a given research task. In addition, it is also important to understand what types of sources we could use and in what context.
Typically, your instructor will identify the types of sources that are required for a given academic project. When you are searching for sources, you must understand the type of source you are required to use and differentiate between the various sources you find during your information searches so that you choose the right types of materials for your project.
Readings
Attridge Bufton, M. (2021). Evaluating academic, popular, news, and social media articles [Brightspace module]. Carleton University Library.
Big Think. (2022, Nov. 27) Debate world champion explains how to argue | Bo Seo [Video]. Youtube. https://youtu.be/2pVdSEp-tT8?feature=shared
Booth, W. C., Colomb, G. G., Williams, J. M., Bizup, J., & Fitzgerald, W. T. (2016). The Craft of Research (4th ed.). University of Chicago Press.
- Chapter 6: Engaging with sources (pp. 85-104).
Maccallum, L. (2020) Choosing and using sources: A guide to academic research. 1st Canadian edition. Ohio State University. https://caul-cbua.pressbooks.pub/choosingsources/
- Chapter 7: Categorizing sources
- Chapter 11: Popular, professional, & scholarly
- Chapter 14: News as a source
Seo, B. (2022). Good arguments. How debate teaches us to listen and be heard. Penguin Books.
- Introduction (pp. 1-14)
- Chapter 1 Topic: How to find the debate (pp. 15 – 46)
Before class activities
Key questions to ask while reading and watching
- How do I define academic, popular, news, and social media sources: how are these sources similar and/or different?
- When would I use academic, popular, news, and social media sources? When would I not use them?
- Why would my professor require that I use only academic sources for an assignment?
“Pile of words”: Group and label key concepts
Organize into two lists of similar terms and label each list (include definition of each label).
Remember: You may already understand some of these ideas relatively well and others may be new to you—you are encouraged to look up (e.g., in a dictionary or encyclopedia) the unfamiliar concepts in order to create your lists.
Make note of your reasons for grouping the ideas together as you will share them in class. These are self-paced individual activities, for which there are no right or wrong answers. The instructor will not grade this work.
Predict a learning outcome
Reading class activities
Share the results of your pre-class activities before class activities and respond to additional prompts provided by your instructor(s).
After class activities
After class, annotate each reading for key ideas. For videos and podcasts, you can annotate the transcript.
Summarize the author’s key ideas from each reading.
Highlight the following information:
- Purpose of the reading;
- Scope (the extent of the study);
- Thesis (the main argument[s]);
- Method (research method if applicable);
- Outcome(s) and conclusion.
Respond to the following statement about the readings: do you agree or disagree with the statement and why?
“In order to evaluate a source, you have to answer two questions about it:
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- Is this source relevant to my research question?
- Is this a credible source– a source my audience and I should be able to believe?” (Maccallum, n.d.).
Did this reading provide any inspiration or insights you can use in this or any of your other classes? If yes, what is the inspiration and/or what are the insights?
