How do we judge the credibility of sources of information, specifically
sources of evidence, especially those referenced online?
Here's how (according to Purdue University, itself a well known and credible
source, see "Using Research and Evidence",
http://tinyurl.com/kwstomp ):
What type of evidence should I use?
There are two types of evidence.
First hand research is research you have conducted
yourself such as interviews, experiments, surveys,
or personal experience and anecdotes.
Second hand research is research you are getting
from various texts that has been supplied and
compiled by others such as books, periodicals, and
Web sites.
Regardless of what type of sources you use, they
must be credible. In other words, your sources must
be reliable, accurate, and trustworthy.
How do I know if a source is credible?
You can ask the following questions to determine if
a source is credible.
[1] Who is the author? Credible sources are written
by authors respected in their fields of study. ...
[2] How recent is the source? The choice to seek
recent sources depends on your topic. ...
[3] What is the author's purpose? When deciding
which sources to use, you should take the purpose
or point of view of the author into consideration.
Is the author presenting a neutral, objective view
of a topic? Or is the author advocating one
specific view of a topic? Who is funding the
research or writing of this source? A source
written from a particular point of view may be
credible; however, you need to be careful that your
sources don't limit your coverage of a topic to one
side of a debate.
[4] What type of sources does your audience value?
If you are writing for a professional or academic
audience, they may value peer-reviewed journals as
the most credible sources of information. If you
are writing for a group of residents in your
hometown, they might be more comfortable with
mainstream sources, such as Time or Newsweek. ...
[5] Be especially careful when evaluating Internet
sources! ...
Note: I added the question numbers [1] through [5].
What follows are 3 sources recently offered in this forum to support the
anti-vaccine position.
1)
http://therefusers.com (from
http://tinyurl.com/ltlondj )
WA's GMO foods labeling initiative is nation's ballot
measure to watch ... Both sides are getting creative. A
band called the Refusers has created a music video here
that supports GMO labeling. It has gone viral with
262,000 hits
A Bainbridge Island dad started the protest rock band,
The Refusers, 10 years after his infant daughter died
from a Hepatitis B vaccine. He's rock, funk, reggae and
blues ...
SEATTLE - A local band's controversial song is taking the
Internet by storm ... The Refusers make funk rock with a
message.
The message is that parents can refuse vaccines for
their children. Their title song is a rip on the
Hippocratic Oath doctors take to practice medicine
ethically, to "first do no harm."
The author of "The Refusers" blog site, Michael Belkin, is a bereaved
parent. He is also a musician. His baby daughter died. He claims his
daughter was killed by a vaccine. This may be true. We have no way of
knowing for sure from his site. According to the Purdue research method,
this source is not credible due to questions [1] (not respected in the field
of vaccine research), [3] (not neutral or objective - his agenda is to
discredit the industry he holds responsible for his daughter's death), [4]
(authored no peer-reviewed articles or books, nor vetted by credible news
sources).
2)
http://healthimpactnews.com (from
http://tinyurl.com/lyrvp94 )
We currently cover 6 broad topics:
1. Medical Watch
Mainstream media today receives significant advertising
revenue from the pharmaceutical industry, and seldom
does investigative reporting on issues challenging the
monopoly on medicine that is controlled by government
agencies such as the FDA, CDC, NIH, and others.
Our primary trending topics in Medical Watch at this
time are:
Vaccine Safety
For examples of stories on vaccine safety that are
censored in mainstream media and that are trending here
on Health Impact News, see:
...
2. Alternative Health
In our Alternative Health section we feature stories on
alternative healing methods that are NOT approved by
the FDA, and in many cases where the FDA feels
threatened with the competition for its approved
pharmaceutical products.
...
3. Real Food Nutrition
In our Real Food Nutrition section we cover news and
issues that are directly opposed to the mainstream
media's promotion of nutrition according to the USDA
dietary guidelines.
...
4. Sustainable Agriculture
With only a handful of companies now controlling most
of America's food supply, we cover the issues largely
ignored in the mainstream media regarding the dangers
of modern biotechnology and the contamination of our
food supply that is contributing to so many health
issues.
...
5. Coconut Health
This is our area of specialty, being the leading
publisher on Coconut Health since 2001. Our Coconut
Health category publishes news, research, and
testimonials regarding the health benefits of coconut
oil and other coconut products. Virgin Coconut Oil
today is being used in ketogenic types of diets in
treating neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's
Disease. You will find all the latest research here, as
well as on our original site, CoconutOil.com.
Happy senior citizen woman at home looking at her
daughter
Virgin Coconut Oil Beats Drugs in Treating Alzheimer's
[Note:
http://coconutoil.com is an oil sales site linked
to
http://tropicaltraditions.com (also owned by the same
people). It includes a link to "How I Found Peace with
God" which describes the author's past drug habit and
suicidal thoughts. The referenced site itself includes
on its home page under "Recent News" a link to "Healing
from Jesus is More Effective than Our Current
Healthcare System",
http://tinyurl.com/mjzgoro ]
6. Created4Health
The Created4Health category is our least published
category, but it is by far the most important one. The
foundation for anyone's health is their belief system.
The modern-day agricultural industry and medical
industry is the result of more than 2 generations of
Darwinian-dominated biology and science in our
educational institutes. Anything referencing the spirit
world or the non-physical aspects of life are either
ignored or denied, and critical thinking in this area
is for the most part not tolerated. The result is that
we have lifted up "science" to a whole new platform
that results in "scientism," and a new set of beliefs
that are not scientific at all. The Arts and Humanities
are seen as inferior, and we have produced a highly
technical culture based on modern technology, which can
never produce true health.
We publish articles in this category from the senior
editor of Health Impact News, Brian Shilhavy, that look
at the ancient cultures in the Bible and how they
viewed health. We also feature writers and articles
from the Discovery Institute and other places that view
science from an Intelligent Design perspective.
molech-child-sacrifice
Medicine: Idolatry in the Twenty First Century
humanities
Scientism Aims to Destroy the Humanities
Molecular-Thoughts-Science
The Limitations of Science and the Medical Paradigm
This site is just one among a network of sites owned and operated by Brian
Shilhavy and dedicated to selling alternatives to science based medicine and
health.
The author of the "Health Impact News" site, Brian Shilhavy, sells
alternative healthcare products online. According to the Purdue research
method, this source is not credible due to questions [1] (not respected in
the field of vaccine research), [3] (not neutral or objective - his agenda
is to sell alternative healthcare products and to discredit science in
general), [4] (authored no peer-reviewed articles or books, nor vetted by
credible news sources).
3)
http://vaxtruth.org (from
http://tinyurl.com/lrqqmuu )
Marcella Piper-Terry has a master's degree in
psychology and has worked as a therapist and as a
neuropsychological evaluator of children and adults.
She has worked as a DAN provider and consultant
assisting families employing biomedical interventions
for their children. She is also the mother of a
vaccine-injured child. She founded VaxTruth along with
my colleagues, Megan and Spencer Pond in the fall of
2011.
[Note: this site is also referenced by the first of the 3
sites above, see "Dr. Oz Warns About Mercury in Flu Shots",
http://tinyurl.com/kzv8qd2 ]
The author of the "Vax Truth" site, Marcella Piper-Terry, is an angry
parent. She believes her daughter was vaccine-damaged. This may be true. We
have no way of knowing for sure from her site. According to the Purdue
research method, this source is not credible due to questions [1] (not
respected in the field of vaccine research), [3] (not neutral or objective,
her agenda is to discredit the industry she holds responsible for her
daughter's suffering), [4] (authored no peer-reviewed articles or books, nor
vetted by credible news sources).
The rational conclusion therefore is that not one of these sources offers
credible evidence to support any position for or against vaccines or
vaccination.
These are not reputable sources. Anyone using these sources to support or
oppose vaccination or vaccine science clearly does not understand the
culture or method of science.
Reputable sources on the subject of vaccines and vaccination are respected
in the field of vaccine research. They offer independent agenda-free
evidence and they publish their findings in peer-reviewed journals and
books. Alternatively, credible evidence appears in nationally or
internationally known and respected news publications which adhere to long
established and transparent journalistic standards.