Source Analysis Flashcards
What is ethical Scholarship?
Ethical Scholarship: Ethical scholarship means producing work which is honest, reliable and credible.
How to practice ethical scholarship in research?
Practise ethical scholarship when referencing source material by:
- being honest about the source of information used
- acknowledging the words and ideas of others
- accurately listing all the sources used.
How to identify the ORIGIN of a source?
Questions when identifying the origin of a source focus on:
- authorship
- date
- the nature of the source (eg primary/secondary, official/unofficial source)
- format (eg interview, news article, novel, photo)
- literary style (eg editorial, academic argument, etc).
How to identify the PURPOSE of a source?
- intended audience
- intended or stated purpose
- the intended message(s).
How to identify the CONTEXT of a source?
- historical context
- religious context
- political context
- social/cultural/geographical context
- the ‘in text’ context of the ‘text’
- the context of the ‘text’
- the context of the ‘user’.
What is Reliability?
Reliability is the degree to which a source accurately expresses the views it claims to represent.
How to identify how reliable the source is?
- Is it authoritative? = Who sponsored it? Who is the author?
- Is it consistent or contradictory?
What does usefulness mean?
Usefulness refers to the degree of relevance or the degree to which the source serves the intended purpose.
How to identify the USEFULNESS OF A SOURCE
- usefulness can be tested using the following questions:
- informative - is it informative? Does it relate to the task? Is it up to date?
- meaningful - does it arrive at any conclusions?
- relevance - does it contribute anything to the course content?
What does it mean to be contestable in nature?
Contestable nature refers to the degree to which particular interpretations are open to debate. This may be due to differing points of view or insufficient evidence. Such debate will often not be resolved but remain open to ongoing discussion.
How to identify a source is contestable in nature?
- Does it critically question a held position?
- Do alternative views on the matter exist?
- Is there professional disagreement or a diversity of views on the subject?
What are interpretations?
Interpretations: the differing ways a subject may be understood.
What is the point of view?
Point-of-view: how one sees or thinks of something. Point of view refers to an attitude, standpoint, position or perspective of the creator or originator of the source and the context or circumstances from which this point of view originates.
How to identify point of view?
- “Whose ‘voice’ are we hearing?” and “What do they want us to ‘hear’?”
- which interpretation of the event/idea
- the group voice Eg aetheist,
- and main point needed to get through to the reader
How to Practice Ethical Scholarship in a survey?
Practise ethical scholarship when conducting research by survey or interview by:
-respecting each person’s right to make an informed decision about taking part
-respecting each person’s right to confidentiality or anonymity
-respecting cultural sensitivities
-presenting the results honestly by avoiding bias and acknowledging the
limitations of the data.
