Information is not difficult to find. Search engines utilize web databases, reviewers’ blogs and RSS feeds. Practicing research techniques that help you become adept at locating the information you need is easy. But how do you know if the information is accurate or relevant?
So, we need an understanding of the diversity of information sources, which are largely developed through varied beliefs and influenced by social interactions.
To simplify, the information sources must be evidence-based science, innovative technological facts, non-biased ethical standards, and stem from global mindfulness. Below is a list of 5 ways to determine if the information you are gathering is reliable and timely.
1. Examine Sources
2. Reliable Tech Innovation
3. Evidence-based Science
4. Original Ideas and Experience
5. Invention
The above five bullet points are tenets I apply in my own research and teaching. In fact, information gathering and assimilating has become a bit of “telephone tag.” To resolve this, be proactive in obtaining information from reliable sources and pass them on with credit to the originators.
Here are a few facts that might cause all of us to pause: “According to the poll, conducted by Don Bates of The George Washington University:
Is Bates’ information reliable? To find out, I would need to go directly to GWU and look for scholarly articles written or published by Bates. I did and it was. But this is only the first step because the second step would be to find other statistics on the same topic from other sources to compare.
In the end, the onus is on us to do our own due diligence and get the facts straight! Difficult? Not too much. It can be a fun challenge.