Screening sources

On pages 76-78 of The Craft of Research, the authors list several criteria by which readers can judge the reliability of a printed source:

• the press that published the source is "reputable"
• the source is peer reviewed
• the author is a "reputable scholar"
• the information is current

These criteria are somewhat vague: what exactly is a "reputable" source or scholar? How "current" is current enough?

To begin today's class, I'd like you to get into small groups to share the magazine articles you've found. After you've shared face-to-face, I'd like you to read & comment on one another's Research Blog posts for today. In your opinion, which of the 3 articles is the most reliable & why? Which is the least reliable? What criteria did you use to make this decision?