Discussion: What Makes Research Credible?

In the context of ever-growing sources and amounts of information, the ability to evaluate credibility is crucial. Becoming a critical consumer of research requires more than collecting a plethora of research articles, books, journals, and information from websites.

For this Discussion, you will engage in the process of identifying credible resources and organizations in the field of special education.

To prepare:

• Review the Learning Resources for this module.
• Familiarize yourself with ways of determining credible resources.
• Consider credible sources of current thinking and research in the study of special education.
• Conduct a search to discover credible organizations that support this research.

Post your response to the following questions:

• What organizations, journals, and websites have you found that you consider represent credible research in the field of special education?
• How did you come to this conclusion?
• What red flags should be raised in your mind when you see someone citing a secondary source rather than a primary source?

Assignment: Credible Sources

This module includes a great deal of information about using the library as an advanced graduate student. Although reading and hearing about library skills is important, this information needs to go hand-in-hand with actually applying these skills. This is truly a process that involves continuous examination, evaluation, and analysis of information to ensure it is accurate and credible.

For this Assignment, you will identify and provide an analysis of credible sources in the field of special education. The purpose of this assignment is for you to begin to differentiate between primary and secondary sources, as well as to determine their credibility for your future research in the field of special education.

To prepare:

• Review all module Learning Resources on library usage and researching.
• Review resources on current and seminal information in the field of special education.
• Select one issue that you identified in Module 2 as a possible focus area for your capstone product (e.g., dissertation, applied study project).

Based on the issue you have chosen, conduct further research on your issue to:

• Identify one seminal article from a professional journal, written at least 10 years ago, by an important scholar in the field of special education.
• Identify 5 primary articles, written within the last 5 years on your identified issue in the field of special education.
• Identify 2 articles considered to be secondary sources.
• Identify at least two credible websites related to your identified issue.

Begin to build your working bibliography in APA format. Make sure that any of the resources you find are credible and pertain to your area of interest.

Submit a 2- to 3-page paper that includes the following two parts:

Part 1: Reference List

• Create a reference list of the 10 resources you found along with a brief synopsis (3-5 sentences) of each resource.

Part 2: Resource Summary

• Choose two of the resources you identified that seem most relevant to your selected issue and provide a 1- to 2-page summary answering the following questions:
• How do you know that each of the articles is credible or non-credible?
• How do you know that each is a primary source?
• How do the findings and implications identified in each of the resources illuminate your thinking about your selected issue in the field of special education?

Note: For this Assignment and all scholarly writing in this course and throughout your program, you will be required to use APA style (6th edition). Please use the Walden Writing Center as a resource as you complete assignments.

 Learning Resources

Note: To access this module's required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.

Required Readings

American Psychological Association. (2010). Publication manual of the American Psychological Association (6th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.

• Chapter 6, "Crediting Sources" (pp. 169-192)
• Chapter 7, "Reference Examples" (pp. 193-224)

These chapters explain why and how to give credit to various sources.

Pugach, M. C., Mukhopadhyay, A., & Gomez-Najarro, J. (2014). Finally making good on the promise of qualitative research in special education? A response to the special issue. Remedial and Special Education, 35(6), 340-343. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Focus on the concepts of methodological rigor and the use of qualitative research in special education.

Council for Exceptional Children: Standards for evidence-based practices in special education. (2014). TEACHING Exceptional Children, 46(6), 206-212. Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.

Focus on the Council for Exceptional for Children's position regarding Special Education Teacher Evaluation and the use of evidence-based practices.