ABSTRACT
By the end of this chapter you should:
Be able to recognise and understand the range of ways in which information can be presented: in tabular form, graphically, verbally etc.
Be able to extract, compare and contrast and finally translate relevant information from (and between) each of the above.
Understand the various advantages and disadvantages of each approach.
Understand the role that criteria such as accuracy, detail, simplicity and selectivity play in determining the above.
Understand what is meant by the terms ‘motive’ and ‘agenda’.
Understand what is meant by the term ‘source’.
Understand why a background motive or agenda can affect the credibility of a given source.
Understand the further set of criteria that can be used to determine source credibility:
the primary or secondary status of the source;
the reputation/reputability of a witness or author;
the possibility of vested interest on the part of an author (and the extent to which it might influence him or her to say one thing rather than another);
the scope for error, e.g. the physical ability of a person to make a particular observation;
the expertise or authority of an author (and whether or not their expertise is relevant to the claim/s being made);
the degree of corroboration provided by other (independent) sources.
