Photographer : Bob Mercer |
It is important to carefully assess resources that you have found in your research and consider:
- content: is the resource saying anything unique? Is there substance and depth to the arguments being presented.
- authority: is the author affiliated with any institution or political party? What are the author's credentials/qualifications?
- accuracy: what year was the source published? Does the resource provide accurate and up-to-date information? Is the information backed-up by research? Is the author objective in presenting the information? If not, are the political affiliations of the author openly stated?
The objectivity of a source is an interesting question as, of course, no writer can ever be entirely unbiased. However, the thing to be most concerned about, are resources that appear to be objective but aren't—this is particularly a concern with the research of thinktanks.
Thinktanks are often either conservative or progressive in their politics. Their particular political affiliations and beliefs will therefore affect the types of research that they do and how their findings are presented. This is particularly important to remember, as most thinktanks have names that suggest they are completely impartial. For example, the Institute of Public Affairs (IPA), Centre for Independent Studies (CIS), and Centre for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) are all conservative thinktanks, whilst the Australia Institute is known to be progressive.
You would never have guessed just by looking at their names, right?
