Information Literacy Case Study

“The Truth Wears Off” is an article written by Jonah Lehrer. This article discusses the issues raised by a phenomenon called the decline effect and how it impacts scientific research. On September 23rd, 2014, we had a group discussion in class about this article and our group felt a strong credibility issue with the author because he had no citations used in his article. Also, according to NYU journalism professor Charles Seife, Jonah Lehrer recycled some of his own material for the New Yorker posts and had fabricated quotes in one of his books (Moos). This credibility issue from the author is a problem for me as a reader because I am not sure if the issues raised in this article are factual. The members in my group discussion include Lisa Wallner, Lisa Spreitz, Dusty Gill, Allan Robinson and myself. An author's credibility is crucial because the level of credibility in an author could change how a reader interprets an article.

My academic writing has greatly improved. I now make an active effort to use a thesaurus to vary my language. I also incorporate more transitional phrases to create a better flow in my essays. I organize my paragraphs to make sure the information and supporting evidences flows well. Even though I understood my claims and thesis needed to be supported by credible sources I analyze who and where the source was published. Specifically, the class discussion in the response to videos we watched two videos about high fructose corn syrup. I stated,” The first video, High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) – ‘Party’ TV original commercial, is an advertisement made by The Corn Refiners Association”. I acknowledged that the first video was made by an association that could have biased opinions about high fructose corn syrup. By acknowledging where the source came from I demonstrate that if this video was used for evidence for safe fructose consumption it would not be a credible source because of its ties to the corn association.

In today’s society, author of “Low Definition in Higher Education” Lyell Asher explains how students tend to find a shortcut to get their school work done as painlessly as possible. These students then become predisposed to carry this ideality throughout their entire life. As a result, it becomes more and more difficult for them to immediately decipher whether or not the media or the people around you speak the truth and nothing but the truth. Yet, others continue to believe the first thing they hear without further research on the subject matter. Author Jacob Soll’s  discusses this phenomenon in his article, “The Long and Brutal History of Fake News”. Soll providesan insight on the continuing existence of fraudulent news reportings

c. Explanation of the central points from the article(s): Avoid just using a quote from a source. Explain what you think the author means.

In this assignment I will evaluate the informational approach in measuring organizational effectiveness of a company from the United Kingdom. The Company is called, The Department of Orthopedics and Traumatology of Cantonal Hospital St. Gallen.

A front-page article is devoted to a flawed story about a campus rape in the journal Rolling Stone, exposed in the leading academic journal of media critique. So severe is this departure from journalistic integrity that it is also the subject of the lead story in the business section, with a full inside page devoted to the continuation of the two reports. The shocked reports refer to several past crimes of the press: a few cases of fabrication, quickly exposed, and cases of plagiarism (“too numerous to list”). The specific crime of Rolling Stone is “lack of skepticism,” which is “in many ways the most insidious” of the three categories.

Individuals such as university or high school students are, at one point or another in their studies, faced with the task of having to write a technical report that involves a research (specifically focused on existing material). There is an abundance of information available in the world today, which covers a vast amount of fields and all this information is readily available to the public but it is often unclear to these students that all the information available may not always be credible and actually reliable or even true. The negligence of these students often results in non-factual research papers that are poorly written up. The failure to check for reliable sources may lead to inadvertent plagiarism too. This report focuses on what makes sources of information more reliable and credible than others, with a specific focus on research reports.

Taking a more in-depth look into legitimate information sources, it is clear that research papers, peer review articles, and studies are credible sources. The elements that make research papers credible are

Information Literacy is being able to research information on your subject ,evaluate it,and then to use that information adequately in your research. It is very vital to use these steps for a few different reasons , One to avoid to much information that may be out there however , not quit being suitable for the pertaining subject. Second being able to break down and looking at different options you may have then coming to the conclusion of what information exactly would be used more accurately by the knowledge and information you find . A.P.A. style is one of many different writing techniques that is used for essays, papers, books and publications. A.P.A. style is needed so that the researcher can find exactly what he/she may need in the paper without having to waste time and read the whole thing and for somethings time is very valuable for the researcher.

When reading certain editorials, like trash magazines or gossip columns I would question the accuracy of the stories they report. In my opinion, all journalists write to persuade the audience; in an effort to sell newspapers or encourage others to watch a particular news broadcast. Facts and documented sources are what make news creditable. On the contrary, I am reminded of an article written in Rolling Stone magazine about an alleged rape on the University of Virginia campus. Upon reading, the story appeared bizarre with the accuser stating her friends discouraging her from coming forward when the act occurred (Helber, 2015). The story was later retracted due discrepancies in the accuser’s story. If I am doubtful about the authenticity of information sent through media outlets, I will search for myself in order to be properly informed.

All material for study is suitable for academics, and is supported by a system of learning and study. They are less widely circulated than popular sources and may be understandable only to those who work or study in a particular field. In addition, scholarly sources are juried through peer review, which is very detailed to make sure all material is true and accurate. This keeps the balances and checks in place for those who are learning using scholar material. Popular sources are not governed by anyone therefore leaving it up to the reader to determine if the information is authentic or not which can be misleading due to the fact that the reader is not likely an expert in that field of study.

Thirdly, the author by quoting credible sources and this is particularly so for a scientific-based article indicates his creditability in this way. The more complete sources that he or she quotes with full details and facts all of this adds to his credibility. Numbers and facts (such s names, dates and so forth) also add to the creditably of the news source and, in the case of a controversial article, inclusion of both sides of the story provides greater credibility.

The film Shattered Glass presents the ethical issues of fabrication and the deception of the writer, Stephen Glass, to his editor and co-workers. He deliberately sensationalized his stories in order to gain his reader’s attention. His facts were partially, if not completely, inaccurate and he presented notes that he fabricated as facts for each of his pieces at the New Republic. Journalists in the media have a duty to the people to report the truth and follow an ethical code whenever reporting stories.

Information literacy skills are used for academic purposes, such as research papers and group presentations. They are used on the job—the ability to find, evaluate, use and share information is an essential skill. They are also used in consumer decisions, such as which car or vacuum cleaner to purchase, are critical. Last but not least, they are used by informed citizens in participating fully in a democratic society through voting (Kenney, 2007).

“In the end, the discipline of verification is what separates journalism from entertainment, propaganda, fiction, or art…. Journalism alone is focused first on getting what happened down right. The willingness of the journalist to be transparent about what he/she has done is at the heart of establishing that the journalist is concerned with the truth.” (Kovach, Rosenstiel 2001)