Write up a 500 word summary on what you have learned this week about validity and reliability issues with your sources:

When investigating media violence and how it effects children, one of the most important things to consider when conducting your secondary research is to ensure they are reliable and credible which will give you a strong argument when showing your research. Credible mean that the research is high quality, reliable and that you can trust where the information is all coming from.  Important factors you need to consider when gathering research, one being that you have to ensure that the author’s expertise is reliable. This can be checking whether they have an advanced degree in the topic or whether the research has been peer reviewed by other universities experts. Also, you must check what the author’s point of view is as they may be coming from a biased opinion which could be intentional sometimes. It is best if the research is peer reviewed by professionals so it can help filter out any bias and unreliable opinions that is not needed.

Another way of testing validity and reliability is through the CRAAP test.

Currency which determines if the date of publication of the information is suitable for your research and if it is relevant to the topic. It is best if you type in the years you are looking for when online searching as it will give a higher chance of recent data.

Relevance which is to determine how applicable the information is for the purpose of your research. This checks up that the information you are researching is the right topic in which you are focusing on and it is always good to pick sources that give you an overview of the work to make the search easier.

Authority determines if the source author, creator, or publisher of the information is the most knowledgeable. Ensure that the author’s expertise is reliable, this can be checking whether they have an advanced degree in the topic or whether the research has been peer reviewed by other universities experts.

Accuracy determines the reliability, truthfulness and correctness of the content. This means you must always check up that your information matches and backs up all the other data that you have collected.

Purpose determines the reason why the information exists e.g. Is it a sponsorship? Is it made to educate, entertain or influence?