This document discusses the importance of source credibility and provides guidance on evaluating sources. It defines sources and credibility, noting that sources should lead to credible conclusions. It warns that even prestigious sources can be wrong and advocates checking sources by following citations back to the original to verify accuracy. The document cautions that not all claims require sources and provides tips for intelligently using sources like Wikipedia. It stresses starting with credible sources and owning mistakes to build trustworthiness.

1. SOURCE
CREDIBILITYDarren Ingram
March 2016
(C)2016 Darren Ingram, all rights reserved.

2. DEFINITIONS

3. SOURCE
Many definitions and uses for the word, quite a few have fallen
out of use over time.
OED: “A work, etc., supplying information or evidence (esp. of an
original or primary character) as to some fact, event, or series of
these. Also, a person supplying information, an informant, a
spokesman.”
Synonyms: authority, informant, originator, provenance,
specialist, starting point…
“The only source of knowledge is experience” - Albert Einstein
Think of a process: it is an input!

4. CREDIBILITY
OED: “The quality or state of being credible; capacity to be
believed or believed in” / “An instance, case, or degree of being
credible; a credible thing, a piece of credible evidence.”
Synonyms: integrity, reliability, soundness, trustworthiness,
validity, believability…
“Inconsistency on the part of pastors and the faithful between
what they say and what they do, between word and manner of
life, is undermining the Church's credibility” - Pope Francis
Think of a process: it is an output!

5. HAS A SOURCE,
THAT SHOULD
LEAD TO A
CREDIBLE
CONCLUSION

6. USES EVERYWHERE
A CREDIBLE SOURCE can be the foundation of everything.
Academic writing
Journalism
Sales process
Business and professional matters
Expert testimony
Relationships
Etcetera

7. DARREN
INGRAM…

8. LOOK AT YOUR
SOURCE?What sources are trustworthy?
How do you know they are?
Just because it is seen on the
Internet, does it mean it is true?
Just because it “looks” like it
comes from a trusted source, can
you believe it?

9. INTERNATIONAL SPORTSMAN…

10. … ASTRONAUT, “PERSON OF THE
YEAR” …

11. …AND THE FUTURE?

12. YOU MUST
DOUBLE- OR
TRIPLE-
CHECK…

13. THE EARTH IS
FLATIn many cultures it was believed
that the world was flat until the
17th century.
Even though Greek philosophers
had believed the earth was a
spheroid in the 6th century BC
and Aristotle provided empirical
evidence in 330 BC.
Religious texts supported the flat
earth view.
Early explorers feared you would
fall off the edge of the earth.
www.TFES.org
Anonymous - Camille Flammarion, L'Atmosphère: Météorologie Populaire (Paris, 1888), pp. 163

14. CHECK YOUR
SOURCESources can vary. Even
prestigious, accepted sources
can get things wrong OR
information can be outdated.
Where possible and if relevant try
and follow the source back along
the chain.
Importance of references and
citations (plus if X gets it wrong,
you can share in their stupidity).
Going backwards can reveal
good-faith mistakes (or worse).
Source: QZ.com

15. A MURDER IN
THE CAPITAL*1. Aberystwyth
2. Cardiff
3. Strata Florida Abbey
4. Ludlow (England)
5. St. Davids
Source: Wikipedia
*Christmas Day, 1845

16. ANSWER
1. Aberystwyth (cultural)
2. Cardiff (1955)
3. Strata Florida Abbey (1238)
4. Ludlow (England) (1473-1689)
5. St. Davids (ecclesiastical)
Wales had no formal capital after
the 1536 Act of Union but several
de facto capitals. Cardiff became
the capital on 20.12.1955!
Old sources or wrong context can
lead you on the wrong path.
Source: Wikipedia

17. NOT
EVERYTHING
HAS OR NEEDS
A SOURCE?

18. “BEARS S**T IN
THE WOODS”➤ Pope is still Catholic?
➤ The sun rises and sets?
➤ Underwater postbox? (1)
➤ A dead jockey won a horse
race (2)
➤ Light does not always travel at
the speed of light: 38 mph (3)
➤ Reindeer lived on a submarine
during World War II (4)
➤ At least one man has urinated
on the moon (5)
(1) http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/07/26/national/towns-undersea-mailbox-lures-divers/#.UzHHBa1_tJE (2)
http://www.neatorama.com/2012/10/29/Frank-Hayes-The-Only-Dead-Man-to-Win-a-Horse-Race/#!Bq6yf (3)
http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v397/n6720/pdf/397594a0.pdf (4)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/hampshire/hi/people_and_places/history/newsid_8386000/8386947.stm
(5) http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2009/07/090716-moon-landing-buzz-aldrin-pee.html

19. WHAT IS A
“GOOD
SOURCE”?

20. ACCEPTABLE SOURCES
Newspapers and news sources online.
Peer-reviewed publications/journals.
Books from named authors and established publishers.
Radio and television programmes.
Government statements and official reports.
Company statements and other “matters of record”.
Academic research, theses and other publications.
In-person interviews.

22. HAVE BEEN HIT
BY SCANDALS
OVER
ACCURACY
TION SHOULD BE TAKEN WITH ALL SOUR
RCES DESERVE CLOSER SCRUTINY THA

23. OTHER SOURCES?
Wikipedia is not necessarily bad.
Blogs and social media can yield important material.
Even “Tabloid” newspapers and other “less reputable” sources
may play a valid part to research.

24. EXAMPLE: ONE NEWSPAPER, TWO
ACCLAIMED STORIESTRUE FAKE

25. Thalidomide investigation
Initially prescribed to pregnant women to treat morning sickness, thalidomide was
withdrawn from the market in 1961, following reports that it was linked to a number of
birth defects. The Sunday Times spent a decade campaigning for compensation for the
victims, providing case studies and evidence of the tragic side-effects of the drug. The
tireless efforts of the paper paid off in 1968, when The Distillers Company agreed to a
multi-million pound payout for the victims.
Hitler Diaries
The Sunday Times was caught up in one of the greatest frauds of the 20th century, when
it signed a deal in 1983 with the German magazine Stern to serialise the newly
discovered “Hitler Diaries”, which had been acquired by Stern. Although initially
authenticated by the historian Hugh Trevor-Roper, the diaries were quickly discovered to
be crude forgeries. The Sunday Times defended the authenticity of the diaries for two
weeks, before eventually conceding that it had been duped. Circulation, however, soared.
(C) Cenage Learning

26. OBVIOUS?
Some sources may ring instant
alarm bells.
Yet in some circumstances this
can be a valid source…

27. EQUALLY
OBVIOUS?Private Eye is an established
British magazine that mixes
satire AND current affairs/politics.
Circulation c. 230k.
Private Eye has broken many
stories that the established
media didn’t notice or chose to
ignore.
You just need to know what part
of the magazine is what!
Of course, they get it wrong at
times, and pay the price if taken
to court.

28. SO WHAT TO
DO?

29. CAN YOU RELY ON ANYTHING?
No, but you can have a best-effort guess.
Situation and end-use can play a role.
“If it seems too good to be true”…
Confirmation bias.
Adopt an air of cynical mistrust.
Not everything needs a reference.
“The sun will rise tomorrow” versus “Finnish exports fell 45% in
1Q2016”.

30. INTERPRETING SURVEYS IS AN ART
Sample size?
Sample construction?
Margin of error?
Date of survey?
Exact questions used?
Questions paraphrased in survey results?
Of course, context and reason for relying on the survey can
determine what action or scrutiny, if any, you take.

31. TO REPEAT:
ACADEMIC,
BUSINESS OR
GENERAL USE
THE CORE IS THE SAME!

32. AVOID
WIKIPEDIA, I SAY!Many professors and lecturers
recommend keeping away from
Wikipedia and similar sources.
It can be a good basic rule, yet
they can be useful additional
resources for basic research if
used correctly.
Remember anybody can edit it,
often with bad intentions.
Source: Sparknotes

33. AS YOU’D EXPECT, THERE IS A
WIKIPEDIA PAGE ABOUT IT…

34. INTELLIGENTL
Y USING
WIKIPEDIA FOR
STUDIES

35. 1. DO THE SEARCH AND LOOK
CLOSELY.

36. 2. FIND THE FOOTNOTE AND FOLLOW
IT

37. NO INFORMATION?
If there is no footnote, read around the text you wish to use to
identify a source. Maybe it mentions a publication, a source or
gives a clue?
If the footnote no longer works (“page not found”) try searching
around the terms or visit the website’s main address and try and
search/navigate. E.g. footnote 3 does not work, but new
information will be found at Statistics Finland.
Remember some footnotes might not open webpages but
download an attachment to your local drive.
At worst, you know that some data may exist, but need to ask a
librarian, a colleague or friend to help.

38. INFORMATION EXISTS!
It is good practice with ANY research to try and go back to the
ultimate source, so if the source of the data is Statistics Finland
and you can find the information on their website or one of their
publications cite that, rather than citing Wikipedia or a blog
posting by Darren Ingram at Autamme.com !
HOWEVER if the data has been interpreted, it can be correct to
cite both the source of the data (Statistics Finland) and a
particular interpretation (Darren Ingram/Autamme) in accordance
with your institution’s style guide and good practice.

39. IF YOU
SOMEONE
MESSES UP…

40. CONSEQUENCES
Nothing happens, nobody notices: yet you should feel bad.
Downgraded/failed: need to resit or improve matters and it can
create more work for you and others.
Reputation damage: if you do something bad one time, you might
be “marked” and people expect it next time.
In very serious cases, such as plagiarism or falsification of
data/research you could be dismissed from your programme or
your job.
Very serious damage to your reputation. “You may never work
again in that sector”.
The Internet never forgets either…

41. A FEW RECENT “RECALLS”
Source: Retraction Watch

42. JUST BECAUSE
IT IS IN A
JOURNAL…

43. A FEW RECENT “RECALLS”
Source: Nature

44. A FEW RECENT “RECALLS”
Source: Science

45. THIS REFERENCE WILL BE GENUINE…
Ingram, D.P. 2016. Public relations and external communications as an aid
to export: Examination of leading companies in Western Finland. Bachelor’s
Thesis. Centria University of Applied Sciences.
…AND SO WILL OTHERS THAT M

46. DO IT RIGHT FROM THE BEGINNING.
AVOID PROBLEMS LATER!

47. BIG SCANDALS, LITTLE SCANDALS, IT
AFFECTS EVERYONE!
Source: Science/The Lanc

48. IF NOT “CAUGHT TODAY”, MAYBE
TOMORROW…?
Source: Science/The Moscow Times/Gaw

49. SUMMARY
Getting it right and doing it right
from the beginning is a “great
habit” to form.
Strive for excellence, making
sure your sourcing is credible
and correctly attributed as
required.
Mistakes may happen, but by
doing everything right as “second
nature”, it becomes clear that it
was a genuine mistake.
If you mess up, ‘fess up.
Source:Pixabay

50. © 2016 Darren Ingram. All links are correct at the time of publication. No endorsement or specific recommendation is made unless clearly stated. DarrenIngram.com About.me/DarrenPIngram
Questions?
Disagreements?
Darren Ingram
darren@ingram.fi
linkedin.com/in/DarrenPIngram
about.me/DarrenPIngram