As part of the curriculum SANS ISO 5000 / MGT305: Technical Communication and Presentation Skills for Security Professionals, students learn to consider the source when citing technical resources in white papers.
http://www.sans.org/course/technical-communication-presentation-skills-security-professionals
As I read the criteria for scholarly and non-scholarly sources, I think such critical thinking would benefit many companies that base decisions on media hype, fear, emotional arguments or personal agendas to make decisions. Critical review of sources will help flesh out faulty logic and lack of credibility of referenced sources. Checking credibility and track record of sources is always a good idea if you are basing a decision on what that source is saying whether it is a person or a document.
This class will possibly be very helpful at work. Sometimes it is difficult to sum up 20 years of experience in a conversation. Verbal explanations based on personal background and experience don't get the point across. Even a track record of successful projects with high ROI doesn't help. Writing a concise paper and citing numerous credible sources to back up years of experience could help people understand the need for the course of action being suggested.
Here is a description of the breakdown of scholarly and non-scholarly articles from Cornell University library (I'll save APA formatted citations for future white papers - this is just a casual blog full of notes for myself and anyone who cares to read):
http://guides.library.cornell.edu/scholarlyjournals
Scholarly or peer-reviewed journal articles are written by scholars or professionals who are experts in their fields. In the sciences and social sciences, they often publish research results.
Substantive news articles are reliable sources of information on events and issues of public concern.
Popular articles reflect the tastes of the general public and are often meant as entertainment.
Sensational intend to arouse strong curiosity, interest, or reaction. They are not factually accurate.
This type of critical thinking is really needed in all aspects of decision making in life. Sometimes it is difficult to distinguish the hype from the facts, and the emotional arguments from the logical conclusions. Consider the source. Evaluate the arguments.
People come to the table with beliefs systems and backgrounds that may make it difficult to see reality due to personal bias. Sometimes people have not researched the topic in depth before coming to a conclusion. Having solid sources won't fix faulty logic in a thought process clouded by emotions. I would hope, however, that with enough facts, intelligent people could be persuaded even if they have strong personal opinions at the start of the document if the evidence warrants an alternative point of view.
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Cornell would like you to know they give permission to cite the material referenced above:
http://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/ref/research/permission.html
Research & Learning Services
Olin Library
Cornell University Library
Ithaca, NY, USA
