ENG0089 - English 4 - Green

Google can be a great place to locate reports and statistics. You can limit to government websites by adding site:gov to your search.

You may also want to look up a professional association for a field, as they often contain resources such as publications, data, reports, and more.

Who is the author?

What can you determine about the expertise and credentials of the author?

• Academic author - author has a graduate degree in this field
• Academic-amateur - author has a graduate degree in another field but is an amateur in this field
• Professional author - author has professional and direct experience in the field
• Journalist - writer who shares information by researching and interviewing experts
• Nonprofessional - author does not have professional or academic experience, but may have a personal interest
• Corporate author - a corporation or organization is responsible for the content
• No author - resources with no specific person or organization, including authors that only have a screen name

To learn more about the author, try Googling the name and/or organization to find out more!

How was it edited?

What can you determine about the editorial process of the source?

• Peer reviewed - reviewed by other academic scholars prior to publication
• Medically reviewed - reviewed by a medical professional to ensure accuracy
• Professionally edited - reviewed by a professional editor or journalist for basic facts, grammar, etc.
• Nonprofessionally reviewed - reviewed by another person before being posted, even if it is a basic review
• Self-published - no review process as the author creates and publishes their own work
• Collaboratively edited - common in wikis, multiple people work together to edit a source

Why was this published?

What is the purpose of this source?

• Contribute knowledge – share original research or expert insight with others in a field
• Inform – share facts or research to educate the audience
• Persuade – argue a viewpoint or try to influence beliefs or actions
• Sell – promote a product, service, or brand
• Entertain – created for enjoyment, humor, or storytelling
• Share personal views or experiences – express individual opinions or lived experiences

Look up the organization or entity in a search engine to learn more about their purpose and goals.