Evaluating Research Materials

In chapter 6, one of the sections was talking about evaluating research materials. There were three criteria that the book listed: reliability, validity, and currency. These three criteria are extremely important, since the research put into an essay or a speech can make or break its credibility. Reliability is where the information comes from a credible course, like a peer reviewed journal or something that is commonly agreed upon among experts in that specific field. One of the examples of getting something from an unreliable source would be a student getting their research from Wikipedia, almost anyone can change the information presented there, so it is in no way reliable, although following some of the links provided on Wikipedia could provide a reliable source. Validity is where an argument or evidence supporting the argument is sound and logical. And currency is where the information is recent and up to date. Getting something with the most recent evidence is crucial. Any research should have these three things in mind. Without any one of these criteria, the person writing the essay or presenting a speech could provide false information to the audience that they are speaking to.