Evaluating Sources: Authority

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Evaluating Sources Using Authority

Vocabulary

  • Authority

Now let’s consider authority when evaluating sources. Typically, when we are looking at the authority of a source to evaluate it, we are looking at the credibility of the creator of that source, and the context within which they created that source (entertain, educate, sell something). Below are three kinds of authority you can consider:

  • Subject expertise is one form of authority. For this, we can think about your professors and instructors who have completed degrees, such as Masters and PhDs in a discipline or subject area, and have developed their knowledge and expertise over many years of study and research.

    When you are looking at sources that are considered academic (such as a journal article), take a look at the authors: can you see their credentials? What university or college department are they in? Have they published other sources on this or related topics?

  • Position in society is another form of authority. We can think of this as government officials who have been elected into positions of power, or people who have titles within communities or organizations that give them authority. This could be a leader of a local community or social group.

    When looking at sources, determining position could mean looking at interviews, social media posts, blogs, websites, etc. For example, if you are interested in affordable housing, looking at what city officials have said or city websites on their plans or strategies would be an authoritative source of information.  

  • Lived experience is the final form of authority we are going to cover. Someone who has lived through an experience or experiences can give them authority in that area.

    For example, a veteran who has served in a war would have lived experience in being in the armed forces. 

It is reasonable to engage with authoritative sources from all these different perspectives when doing your work. You should always confirm with your TA or instructor which are required or recommended for your assignment or course goals. 

Authority is Contextual

Authority can also depend on the context of where you got it from and what you need it for. You can imagine that needing to write an academic paper on the causes of the French Revolution would require different authoritative sources than how people feel about the candidates in an upcoming election.  

Where you obtain a source indicates that information can come in different types of contexts. You engage every day with many platforms and forms of information, from social media to textbooks to academic sources.

You are also developing your own voice and understanding of what makes something authoritative, in all of the different contexts you are in. So what should you consider? These questions are a starting place:

  • What type or platform of information will I need to search to find the information I will need? Why?
  • Who is creating information on this topic or area of research? Whose voices do I want to ensure I include in my own work which may be excluded from some of these places?
  • What experience and expertise do I expect from the creators of the information I am looking for? How did they get that?
  • What am I being expected to use in terms of authoritative sources from my instructor for my course or assignment? Where will I find those?
  • Have other people used my source? Can I see that other authoritative authors have used this work? 

Overall, when we are talking about authority when we're evaluating sources, we want to take some time to think about who and what and why the source of information is created.

Activity

Let’s return to the video by the Royal BC Museum, and think about the following questions as they apply to authority:

  • What do you know about the Royal BC Museum? Whose voices and perspectives and/or voices are represented in this video?
  • What experience and expertise do you expect the creators of and speakers within this video have? How did they get that expertise, do you think?

(Need the worksheet? Evaluating Sources Worksheet Download Evaluating Sources Worksheet)

Content on this page is adapted from content by Bertrand Library Links to an external site. at Bucknell University, and the Association of College and Research Libraries Framework for Information Literacy, Authority is Constructed and Contextual. Links to an external site.

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