Assignment
25 points
First, think about how you evaluate different sources of information in your daily life, and what differentiates scientific journals from other sources of information.
Second, pick a geology topic you are interested in and find a book, 3 websites, a YouTube video, and a scientific journal article about it. Use the table below to guide your investigation.
Third, write a summary paragraph comparing the sources and indicating which one is the most reliable.
Sources of Information: (6 points)
In your daily life, how you know if a website or YouTube video has reliable information?
What is the difference between a scientific journal and other types of periodicals (magazines, newspapers, news websites)?
What scientific journals about geology does the library have access to? List at least 2 journal titles (not databases).
Source evaluation (14 points)
Pick a geology topic to investigate: _________________________________________________.
Now find the following sources about your topic:
| Source Type | Source name | Is this a good source? | Evidence (How do you know it is good or bad?) |
| Book | |||
| Website 1 | |||
| Website 2 | |||
| Website 3 | |||
| YouTube video | |||
| Scientific journal (written by scientists for scientists) | |||
| Very unreliable source | NO |
Summary: (5 points) Explain in a paragraph (at least 5 sentences) which of the above resources provides the most reliable information. Be sure you include supporting information.
