English 124 Grossmont College Discovery Channel Credibility of Experts Essay

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Discovery Channel Program Exercise in Support and Credibility of Experts by Googling Parts 1 and 2 — minimum 5 pages of writing (approx. 1250 words) for each person you research— Yes, that means 10 pages

How can you tell which online information comes from reliable authorities? Anytime you use someone else's words or ideas in your writing or formal speaking you should be aware who that person is; you can start now investigating the reliability of any sources you are thinking of quoting or paraphrasing.

We like to think that if information is in print, it is reliable. Unfortunately, that is not always the case. People with unjust biases and even those who want to sow hatred find their way into print. In general, works that appear in print go through a much more extensive vetting process than what appears online, but there are so-called vanity presses that will publish pretty much anything if the author will pay the cost. There are also all sorts of periodicals that express slanted—and often conflicting—points of view, some of them offensive to many of us. That's what comes of freedom of the press.

When you go online, how can you start to weed through a list of results to find reliable authorities? For one thing, you can learn to "read" the list of results you get from Google or other search engines.

Please document the following by taking screen shots and explaining in prose as you work through your research in order to discover the possible credibility of two of the experts from the list.Please number each part of your assignment.

  • Choose two:

Dr. Robert Folk, a geologist

Dr. Monica Grady, a meteorite specialist

Dr. Michael Persinger, neurologist and geologist

Dr. Joe Nickell, a paranormal investigator

Dr. David M. Jacobs, an historian

Dr. Jack Cohen, a reproductive biologist

Garry Wood, an ambulance driver in Edinburgh, Scotland

  • Take a screen shot of the list of links that appear.Be sure to post this and all other screen shots in your paper. Before you click on a link, examine the first ten to fifteen entries in the resulting list. Yes, you may use Wikipedia as one source for this assignment.Look at each URL and see what you can learn from it. Also notice any other information that might affect your opinion of the source's reliability or objectivity.
  • Are there sources that you immediately trust as reliable? Which ones, and why?
  • Are there any that you immediately assume will present a biased perspective? Which ones, and why?
  • Are there any that are completely unfamiliar to you? If so, choose two or three and speculate what type of source each might be.
  • Now click on a couple of the sources that you trusted as being reliable. Identify exactly who wrote the document that you have accessed. If you cannot find an author, what does that suggest? If there is an author, search that person’s name and see if you find convincing credentials that support the assumption that he or she is qualified to write on the subject at hand.
  • Do the same with at least two sources that you predicted would be biased. Does further investigation support your assumption?
  • Go to at least one of the sources that were unfamiliar to you. Once you look more closely at the source, do you find any evidence of its reliability or lack thereof? Explain.
  • Based on your research, do you think the expert is credible in his/her field?Give at least two examples why.

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Explanation & Answer

Attached.

Surname 1
Students Name
Professors Name
Course
Date

Discovery Channel Assignment: Credibility of Experts
Selected sources:
I have selected to research Dr. Joe Nickell and Dr. Jack Cohen for this task.
Source 1: Dr. Joe Nickell, a paranormal investigator.
Source 2: Dr. Jack Cohen, a reproductive biologist.
PART 1
1. Source 1: Dr. Joe Nickell, a paranormal investigator.
The following are screenshots of Dr. Joe Nickel, a paranormal investigator search results from
Google:

Surname 2

2.


The following are sources that I would consider as credible sources; jstor.org, buffdo.edu,
and thenewyorker.com. These sources are to be trusted since they have a history of reliable
news and information coverage.



Centerforinquiry.org is one of those source I know that it may present a biased view. The
source has even no author. This makes the information in it partially trusted or not to be
trusted at all, whether it is factual or not.



A source that I see as unfamiliar is Wikipedia. I will approach this source with a lot of care
since some of the information provided in it is facts. Wikipedia is a source worth looking
into.

Surname 3
3.


I would consider some of the sources in the search results from google.com in the search
results in the above screenshot to be credible sources of information regarding Dr. Joe
Nickell, a paranormal investigator. Some of the sources that I would consider credible is
jstor.org, a digital library of academic journals, primary sources, and books. I do not believe
a digital renowned library like jstor.org can provide prints that are not credible to its users, it
would be bad for business. Dr. Joe Nickel is an American author who obviously has a book
on paranormal activities in one way or another since this is his specialty, paranormal
investigations. Having a book about paranormal activities, it is sure that it has at one time
been published in pdf format and uploaded in the jstor.org digital library.

Surname 4
4.


Buffdo.edu is a source that I think is credible on the information about Dr. Joe Nickel. This
article has an author by the name Charlotte Hsu. Scrolling down the article, Charlotte clearly
identifies himself as a News Content Manager working on Sciences, Economic
Development. To further prove his credibility, Charlotte goes ahead to put his contact
information, his telephone number, which I presume is his personal number, his website,
where some of his other content can be obtained, his personal Twitter, and Pinterest account.
With all this information of himself posted in the source, buffdo.edu, it is pretty sure that this
content writer has come up with credible information regarding Dr. Joe Nickell.

Surname 5

Surname 6
5.


Newyorker.com is another source that I thought would be reliable. Just by the name of the
site, you can guess that the information posted in there is going to be reliable information.
The New Yorker is an American magazine published weekly that specifically reports
breaking news, covers profile of people, provides cultural coverage, and also posts videos.
The magazine started its publication in 1925. It is now published 47 times annually. Just at
first glance of the source, I was convinced that I was going to get credible information.
Looking through the website, I noticed there was an author. This is usually my first
credibility check on any source. I have a belief that sources with cl...


Anonymous
Just what I was looking for! Super helpful.

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