Whilst that is a funny joke which I’ve told on many occasions (and most laugh at quite quickly) I've never realised just how close to the truth it is!
OK, so even though I'm blonde, I've never been naive enough to think that everything on the internet should be believed. However it wasn't until searching for information on scientific topics this and last semester did I realise just how little information is actually verified as correct. I mean some websites say Justin Bieber has talent!
Even many published articles and news articles can't really be relied upon to be true. However I guess that's understandable given we know the media sensationalise things to get viewers and/or readers.
Many people go straight to Wikipedia for a definition, a date, or an explanation, which is probably fine if it's just for general knowledge. However a Wikipedia page can be written by anyone, edited by anyone and is probably not checked for accuracy. So it should only be used as a last resort, or when you check the references at the bottom of each page and whether or not they are scholarly peer reviewed articles.
There were many interesting stories and news items that I found, but I didn't want to cite them as I couldn't be sure of their validity and truth.
My search did however bring me to this beauty ""The problem with internet quotes is that you cant always depend on their accuracy" - Abraham Lincoln, 1864" (Cheezburger, 2016).
A website I did find useful however, was official website for Organ Donation New Zealand. It was very helpful for New Zealand specific statistics, as was their 2015 annual report. Also legislation.govt.nz was a great source to understand the current legislation when it comes to organ donation and euthanasia in New Zealand.
I am grateful that my fist University paper last semester required me to write essays using scholarly articles. So I feel I am reasonably au fait with the Massy Library service, and as distance students we are incredibly lucky to have such a resource available to us.
For this assignment I have tried to limit my searches on the Massey Article Database to peer reviewed articles only, by checking the box to filter any non-peer reviewed results out of my search. I hadn't known I could do this until the Week 1 lessons, so that was a great learning.
Quite interestingly I found so much information for and against my topic that reading it often made me question the position that I was going to take! How a paper, essay or article is written can often sway you one way or another. I guess this is exactly what we are aiming to do with our position papers! It makes me wonder if some of the long held and strong beliefs that I have could potentially be swayed by a good arguments with solid facts. I also had to admit at times I had to take the emotion out of what I was reading because it could be quite clinical and cold. Imagine what it's like for the medical professionals!
Finally you four, my team with whom I am working on assignments 2 and 3, have been a great source of feedback. Although most of us are working on different topics, the general chat around organ donation and research methods that we have been having in advance of the next two assignments has been very valuable – so thank you!
Reference
Cheezburger. (2016). “The problem with internet quotes is that you cant always depend on their accuracy”
-Abraham Lincoln, 1864. Retrieved December 2, 2016, from http://cheezburger.com/4777806080
3 comments:
Hey Athena.
You and I are doing the same topic and I think we're stumbling across the same or similar issues.
I found I had to get quite creative and tactical with my search keywords and that talking to people about the topic opened new angles for me to look at things from.
Like you, I have found it very easy to sway to the "other side" of the debate and it often leaves me questioning my own position. I think it is important to touch base with your original position and remind yourself of the reasoning behind it and check yourself on it. I think it is acceptable to change sides, but you will obviously have to make sure your position paper is consistent throughout.
All the best <3
Hi Athena!
I totally understand where you are coming from about statistics and their accuracy. I hadn't particularly considered that for my topic however you have reminded me to cross-examine the information I am using.
I picked up in my time at school a rather useful acronym for determining the reliability of a resource. It is used in history classes but applies to other articles of writing too. I'll outline it briefly here and you can ask me for more detail if you would like it. Essentially you need to look at things like the source, audience, bias and author of the piece. You make your own calls about whether it works or not but for example a scientist author is more reliable than a journalist.
I'm glad to hear that the group is helping you with feedback for your assignment.
Good luck!
Hi Athena,
Firstly, I want to let you know that your blog is the most enjoyable blog I have come across. Initially what grabbed my attention was the title. It’s really the little things that enhance a bloggers way of writing and presenting their opinions. So, big-ups on the attention-grabbing title. It shows you really know how to engage with your audience.
I felt like I had to go beyond my creativity level to find the articles. It is a struggle. Like you, I used Wikipedia to get a sound understanding of the topic. I do agree with you that sometimes it’s really is a juggle between statistics or accuracy. You tend to become more challenged by which side to pick for the paper. As I have done a science paper before so there are many things to look out for such as reading, authors, dates. It can turn out to be a struggle. I used to summarize what I had read and put it in my own ideas which helped me write my paper. It can be pretty time consuming to filter the unwanted, unbiased information. I am glad you finally found your side to debate about And Thank you for including us to ask for anything you were stuck on.
Div
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