ABSTRACT
People often cite experts to add credibility to an idea they support. This chapter lays the groundwork for educators to strengthen their own skills in deciding if someone is an expert in a field and if that person is making a statement based on an analysis of facts or personal opinion. It also provides an activity that readers can use to review their own skills at evaluating expert opinions and in the classroom to help students think critically about expert opinions they read or hear. The chapter provides a set of questions for reflection and a list of suggested resources. Furthermore, the criteria for becoming an expert changes from one field to the next as do the skills or knowledge required to achieve superior results. In other words, a person can have great theories, but to be a true expert that individual must also be able to demonstrate positive outcomes of his/her work.
