Reference no: EM131679173

The reality now is that anyone can publish his or her ideas, words and work. In some ways this has opened many new doors of possibility around the globe. In other ways, it has allowed people to publish on a subject whether they know anything about it or not. In science, we often require that research be scrutinized by other experts in the field before it can be published in a scientific journal. This process of peer review helps maintain high standards and quality in the field of research. But this is true only of peer-reviewed academic journals, because absolutely anyone can publish a book or post a paper on the Web without any expertise or peer-reviewed scrutiny of the work. In such cases, how do we know if what we're reading is valid and reliable or just complete junk? It's important to always critically assess the legitimacy of what you're reading before assuming it's valid.
Some things you want to look out for are:
Is there an author listed?
Are the author's credentials listed?
Is the information written by an expert in the field?
Is the site a blog, company, educational institution, or government site? The blog could be a warning sign that it is not a professional organization.
Who owns the page? Do they stand to benefit from the information they share?
Are there credible references?
Take a look at the three sites listed below. quick overview of the sites, thinking about the questions above. Post an explanation of which you find to be credible and which you find to be junk science. Briefly explain your thoughts and reason for your decision.
Sites:
Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
Environmental activist
The Potential for Biofuels from Algae