Communications & Media Feedback, Essay Example

A1. The first thing to look for in sources is the credibility of the author whether it is individual or an organization. It is also important to ensure that the source is objective and takes appropriate measures to separate opinions from facts. In addition, one should also make sure that the information from the source can be independently verified for accuracy if it quotes other sources. There are numerous red flags that point towards unreliable sources such as poor organization, common spelling mistakes, poor grammar structure, and lack of citations. In addition, excessive advertising and self-promotion as well as suspicious URLs are also signs of dubious sources. Similarly, websites with poor layout and fonts also announce lack of professionalism of the author/s and may not be reliable sources.

A2. It may be difficult for some people to understand Orishan’s response but it seems he is implying that internet sources should be approached with caution as they are not always verified for accuracy and books, newspapers, and magazines are usually credible due to peer-review procedures. This seems to be a valid point because lack of accountability on the internet makes it possible to publish inaccurate information or mask opinions as facts more easily as compared to the above-mentioned print sources.

A3. Audrey is wrong in claiming that one doesn’t need to question the credibility of book or published article because such a claim assumes one can only publish objective information as a book or a magazine article. The fact is that many books and magazine articles are often opinions and reflect author’s bias. The sources are not only evaluated for the authors’ credibility but also the nature of the content. A work of opinion by a credible individual may not qualify as an objective source for a scientific research paper though it may be sufficient for an argumentative paper. The author does a good job of describing red flags that point towards unreliable sources.

A4. Addison doesn’t really answer the question asked and instead of describing the characteristics of the sources, she describes the type of resources she may be using. As far as the second part of the question is concerned, Addison argues that one should not only rely on a single source but multiple sources and again doesn’t explain why her source choices are effective in explaining her point of view.

A5. Brittney does a good job of describing the characteristics of the sources she will be using such as them being reliable, credible, and containing lot of relevant information. She gives answer to second part of the question, too but indirectly. The question asks why her choice of sources are effective but instead of answering why her choice of sources are effective, she answers why one of the sources she will be using (History Channel) is effective.

A6. The two key concepts that will help me write an effective thesis statement are ‘time management’ and ‘stress’. I chose this concept because most of us increasingly feel pressed for time and try to adopt time management skills. But quite often, our efforts backfire and end up doing more harm than good because we adopt time management skills without proper planning. The competition keeps growing, thus, time will only become more valuable commodity over time. While most of us understand we need time management skills, we often don’t realize that time management is a systematic process. Thus, my thesis statement warns that lack of planning results in time management efforts doing more harm than good.

A7. Darlitha doesn’t really answer the question, thus, the reader has no idea what two concepts were used by the author to form her thesis statement. Her entire response is unrelated to the question asked and instead she tries to explain how one should pick a thesis statement. At some places, it seems she is merely paraphrasing the instructions used to explain thesis statement in the course.

A8. I have no doubt I will be using source materials for workplace writing tasks because information needs or the needs to persuade others exist in all walks of life including workplace. At workplace, we also need information to make decisions or persuade others and relevant sources ensure that our decisions are based on accurate and relevant information. Similarly, credible sources also make it easier to convince opponents of your point of view through use of objective facts. I believe writing courses at school are actually meant to prepare us for the real world and not merely improve our writing skills.

A9.