Credibility

Kim Miller-DavisEnglish 1301

LIAR, LIAR, Pants on Fire!

Do You Remember that One?

It was probably one of the worse taunts of our childhoods---a name no one wanted to be labeled with.

And yet…

Lies are Everywhere

The World is filled with Lies, Lies, Lies

So how do we know whom to trustand

how do we get others to trust us?

That’s a hard question to answer.

In Politics, Religion, and Relationships,

There are not any clear guidelines to follow.

But in academic composition, everything is different.

There are clear guidelines for establishing and evaluating honesty

Think of the chorus to a popular Eagles’ Song:

“You can't hide your lyin' eyes And your smile is a thin disguise I thought by now you'd realize There ain't no way to hide your lyin' eyes”

A lack of honesty in an academic composition is easy to spot and impossible to hide.

Here, Honesty is called Credibility

Credibility is the quality or power of inspiring belief

----Webster’s Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary

Writers must have credibility (or the trust of their readers)

in order to convince their readers that their argument is valid.

When they don’t, the argument falls.

This is not the responsibility of the reader.

This is the responsibility of the writer.

This might seem difficult if you are writing a paper where you are not

using sources.

You Must:

• Use an Academic Voice• Use an Authoritative Voice• Use a variety of sentence structures• Provide clear explanations and connections• Avoid Falsehoods, Fabrications, & Distortions• Be Knowledgeable & Clear• Use Quality Academic Sources

Use Academic Voice

• No First Person (I, Me, My, Mine)• Use “We” as a society or culture sparingly• No Second Person (You, Your, Yours)

Academic Voice

Don’t “Talk” to the reader by lecturing, preaching, or giving some speech on how life should be.

Academic Voice

Use Collegiate Word Choice, Good Grammar, and Accurate spelling

Make friends with your Dictionary &Thesaurus!

Academic Voice

Proofread!When you leave mistakes in your paper, you look foolish and lose credibility.

Use Authoritative Voice

An authoritative voice is the tone that the writer takes to demonstrate thorough knowledge.

It doesn’t mean that you have to yell, use ALL CAPS, or show any other sort of aggressive posturing.

It means that you are clear and sure of both your position and your evidence

Examples of Weak Voice

“Legalizing marijuana might help ease our economic issues.”

“A good reason to support Romney is his stance on government health care.”

“Some people believe that global warming is to blame for the destruction of coral reefs.”

“The use of cell phones by teens can be a positive thing.”

“Euthanasia is seen as mercy killing.”

“Standardized testing seems to be an issue in schools.”

Examples of Authoritative Voice

“Legalizing marijuana will benefit our economy substantially.”

“Americans should support Romney because he despises government run health-care, too.”

“Global warming destroys the coral reef systems around the world.”

“Teen cell phone usage is beneficial.”

“Euthanasia is a merciful form of assisted-death.”

“Standardized testing causes issues throughout school systems.”

Sentence Fluency

Fluency=

Using a combination of simple & complex sentence structures

Simple

Jane and Jim are friends. They have a dog. The dog’s name is Spot. The dog likes to play ball. Jane and Jim play ball with Spot.

Complex

Jane and Jim are friends who like to play ball with their dog, Spot.

Evidence Needs Explanation & Connection

Claim=OJ Simpson was guilty of murdering his ex-wife.Evidence=He had a history of domestic violence and had beat Nicole Simpson many times.

Wrong! Because the evidence needs to be explained and connected, the reader is left confused.

Explaining & Connecting

Claim=OJ Simpson was guilty of murdering his ex-wife.Evidence=His history of domestic violence is one of the major factors that points to his guilt.Explain & Connect= Throughout the years OJ and Nicole were together, there are multiple documented cases of abuse including pictures of the brutal battering of her face and body. Through the reports of her friends and family, Nicole lived in fear that some day he would murder her in a fit of rage. Nicole’s fears were in line with research on domestic violence murders as the most lethal time period for abused women is when their abuser thinks that they are leaving. On the night of Nicole’s murder, OJ believed she was involved in a romantic relationship with Ron Goldman and was leaving him for good. And so he killed her.

Avoid Falsehoods, Fabrications, & Distortions

Avoid: Outright Falsehoods & Fabrications

Avoid: Confusing Statements

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sy05zj0X23M&feature=related

Avoid: Argumentative Fallacies

Avoid Sources that use theseManipulative Strategies

• Mixing Commentary with Information and Facts• Demonstration of “Picking and Choosing” Method of News Items• Use of Sarcastic or Critical Ad-Libs• Insertion of Incendiary Comments in Midst of News Delivery• Use of Bandwagon Techniques to Insert Personal Opinion i.e. “Some People Say….”• Use of Expert Sources who are actually paid by the news organization. • Incorporation of Either/Or Fallacious thinking through the demonization of gray areas• Use of Subtle and Subliminal Imagery• Heavy Reliance on Experts from one-side of the issue• Avoidance or Deletion of Inconsistencies in Details• Overwhelming Use of Pathos • Capitalizing on Audience Pride through Patriotic and Religious Appeals• Repetition of Platitudes• Intimidation of Guest Experts• Use of Misleading/Non-Timely Information

Most Important Mistake to AvoidIn Academic Writing:

Faking the Funk

More Commonly Known As….

Not Knowing what You’re Talking About

Like this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1523WCarLf8&feature=relatedAnd this:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LmcZG87FmxcNo one can believe someone who is clearly making stuff up off of the top of his/her head!

To Prove Your Claim, Use Credible Sources AND

Use a variety of evidence

Include multiple examples from different sources

Use statistics and other empirical research

Use studies conducted by reputable institutions

Remember: If you want people to believe your argument

The first step is always establishing credibility

Credibility is Earned Through

• Academic Voice• Authoritative Voice• A Variety of sentence structures• Full Explanations and Connections of Evidence• No Falsehoods, Fabrications, or Distortions• Truthfulness & Clarity• Academic Sources • Trustworthy News Sources