Evaluating Source Credibility: Academic & Professional Writing

This essay discusses the critical role of credible sources in academic and professional writing, particularly for tertiary learners. It highlights the dangers of using unreliable information, such as data from social media or unverified websites, and emphasizes the need to evaluate sources for authenticity, author qualifications, and potential biases. The essay contrasts credible sources, like peer-reviewed journal articles, with less credible sources, such as social media posts using the Syrian conflict as an example. It underscores the long-term benefits of developing strong research and analysis skills by consistently using credible sources, ensuring accuracy, and building a solid professional reputation. The essay concludes by noting the increased risk of information tampering in the digital age and the importance of vigilance in verifying sources.

Running head: ENGLISH ASSIGNMENT
English Assignments
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:
Author’s Note:

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Introduction
Credible sources are one of the essential aspects of the professional research writing.
Hackers may often steal the authentic data and store the false and wrong data. There can be much
information that is available from the social sites like the twitter, facebook and other such
platforms. However, one must always analyze and examine the sources from which this
information has been generated. One must always go for the authenticity of the sources of the
information. It must contain the proper name and designation of the author, their educational
qualification, the date and time when it was published. Taking information from the credible
sources is authentic enough without any falsification. This assignment will deal with the
description of how one source is more credible than the other.
Why is it important to me as a tertiary learner to use credible sources in my academic
research and writing?
As a tertiary learner, it is really important for me to use the credible sources so that my
work is totally authentic and original. I must start inculcating the habit of finding and using the
credible sources in my work. This will help me a lot when I grow up and undertake any
academic writing as a part of my profession. Academic research and writing, the very name itself
are suggesting the fact that I need to research properly and then write. This research must be in
depth and must be evidence of the fact that I am not using any fake, old or unauthentic
references. This is also because the professors will be looking for credibility. I might think that a
social media post or any articles having a good amount of information is credible and I use it in
my writing. However, this does not really hold any good because this information might have

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been uploaded by someone who is not really very qualified or maybe they do not have enough
authority to publish any such thing. Fairness is also a very important aspect of this matter. There
are many sites where the publishers have a specific agenda or a motif of meeting a targeted
amount of traffic of visitors or users. In order to persuade the users, the publishers often upload
some false information or visuals. As a tertiary learner or a beginner, I must be gathering
knowledge about some particular kinds of sites that will be providing me fair and unbiased kind
of information. I can also access some of the university libraries so that I get authentic
information (Wallace & Wray, 2016). This is because that information is usually checked by the
experts and is valid enough to be used. I must also keep an eye upon the suffixes of the domain
that will assure me about the credibility of the information contained in them (Hyland, 2014).
Why is it or will it be important to me in my career to use credible sources in my
professional research and writing?
It is really very important for me to use the credible sources in my writing as this will
also help me in the professional fields. As I step into the professional world from being a tertiary
learner, I will have to use the exact authentic and credible source in my work. They must be
verified by any university libraries or by any good and well-known publishing house. Else I
might end up taking information from some sites that are old and backdated and have been
published by anonymous people, who are not of any verified educational backgrounds or
qualifications. If I do not use the credible sources in writing, then this will result in a huge
negative impact on my future career. If I am writing my paper based on a particular topic, then I
have to be careful about the fact that I am using the authentic and original information. If I am

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being careless about the sources of the information, then there can be chances that I may end up
using information that is backdated and wrong. It can also happen that the piece of information
that I am incorporating into my work does not contain any authenticity. It may be totally a wrong
piece of information. So, I have to be very careful about using the academic sources later in the
works related to my professional career as well. I will also face many competitions in my
professional field. So, I have to show the customers that I am not making use of any wrong or
any false piece of information in the work. Apart from this, even if I am deciding to carry on my
future plans in the fields of academics itself, for an instance, by taking up the course of Ph.D.,
then this habit of using the credible sources will help me a lot.
Compare the relative merits of two sources about the same issue or topic that you have
located, one with greater credibility than the other (e.g. a journal article versus a social
media post). In your comparison you are to briefly explain:
why one source is more credible than the other
A very good example that is coming up in the recent times is the human tragedy that is
happening in Syria. Some of them are showing, a father carrying his child through the ravished
Syrian building, a child lying in between the graves of his parents and many other such visuals.
However, just after some time, it was also posted on Facebook and on Twitter that, the picture
had nothing to do with the Syrian tragedy. It was taken by a photographer Abdul Aziz Al Otaibi
as part of his art project and that photo was clicked in Saudi Arabia. So, there is actually no
evidence of the news being true (Amidst human tragedy, fake pictures of Syrian conflict flood

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social media - Alt News, 2018). For an instance, if one really gets to know the original and the
authentic information about the health crisis going on in Syria and the actual situation of the
children and the other refugees, one must look for the journals from the authentic sources (Taleb
et al., 2015). This can be checked by seeing if the article has been taken from any authentic
journal and if the name of the journal is given in italics. Apart from this, it also has to be seen if
the authors who have updated information are of good qualification and belong from well-
recognized sources. One can see that in this journal there is a separate place for getting the
detailed description of the authors and their academic and professional qualifications as well. It
also shows the date and year in which the journal was published (Taleb et al., 2015). The
credibility and the popularity are also seen from the number of shares, the number of downloads
and the number of times they have been cited by many other users. The information available in
this journal shows that there has been a huge loss to lives and property in Syria but help is also
being sent to them constantly so that the children and the other refugees can be brought to safety.
(Allcott & Gentzkow, 2017).
How this source would help you in your professional/career practice more than the less
credible source
This source will be very helpful as this will give me authentic information about the topic
that I am working on. When I step into the professional world, I will be taking up the
assignments of clients who will be paying me and my company. This is natural that in return for
that money, they will surely expect a very good service. In terms of academic writing, a very
good service refers to the fact that the content which I will be using in my assignment must be

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authentic and taken from some authentic journals or any other authentic sources; they have been
published by experts who are authorized. Taking information from less credible sources will
affect the client and he will be unhappy with the service rendered by me and my whole company.
This will bring a very bad reputation on the company and it will suffer losses. As a result of this,
I will fall under the bad impression of the management and might get terminated as well. If I use
the less credible sources then I will unknowingly be using the wrong information or the
information that has become obsolete. This can greatly hamper my career and can make a bad
impression on me when I finally step into the professional world. However, if I inculcate the
habit of using credible sources right from my early schooling and college years, it will be very
beneficial. Initially it may be very time consuming but in the long run, this will really help me to
do my work in a proper and error-free manner. I will be able to provide totally authentic writing
in the projects that I undertake. I will be able to develop a very rich and in-depth research and
analysis skill as well.
Conclusion
In the modern day scenario, the technology has increased chances of hacking. So, it is
easy for anyone to tamper with the actual information. There are also fake users who work under
the fake name of some authors or unknown people. They often upload wrong and totally false
information. Then, there are media professionals who often want to just spice up the stories and
the current affairs that come up. They often sell tampered, altered and wrong information just for
the sake of some personal benefits. So, one must be cautious enough while using the sources.
They must always check the credibility of sources before using.

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References
Allcott, H., & Gentzkow, M. (2017). Social media and fake news in the 2016 election. Journal of
Economic Perspectives, 31(2), 211-36.
Amidst human tragedy, fake pictures of Syrian conflict flood social media - Alt News.
(2018). Alt News.
Bailey, S. (2014). Academic writing: A handbook for international students. Routledge.
Harris, R. A. (2017). Using sources effectively: Strengthening your writing and avoiding
plagiarism. Taylor & Francis.
Hyland, K. (2014). Activity and evaluation: Reporting practices in academic writing.
In Academic discourse (pp. 125-140). Routledge.
Hyland, K. (2014). Activity and evaluation: Reporting practices in academic writing.
In Academic discourse (pp. 125-140). Routledge.
Taleb, Z. B., Bahelah, R., Fouad, F. M., Coutts, A., Wilcox, M., & Maziak, W. (2015). Syria:
health in a country undergoing tragic transition. International journal of public
health, 60(1), 63-72.
Wallace, M., & Wray, A. (2016). Critical reading and writing for postgraduates. Sage.