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ArchivesRe: Reliable Sources
in reply to a message by krisscouture
> Is there anyway to be sure the information is correct?
Now that would be a nice breakthrough if somebody found a good, easy way to judge the correctness of information :)
As I see it it's only possible to judge whether the people at the source of the information know what they do and try hard to deliver only correct information or just don't care to much as long as it looks and sounds good.
And the owner of this website certainly knows what he does and tries hard to be correct.
Rene www.BabyNames.ch
Now that would be a nice breakthrough if somebody found a good, easy way to judge the correctness of information :)
As I see it it's only possible to judge whether the people at the source of the information know what they do and try hard to deliver only correct information or just don't care to much as long as it looks and sounds good.
And the owner of this website certainly knows what he does and tries hard to be correct.
Rene www.BabyNames.ch
1
Replies
In general, I feel better about the info if some etymological information is provided--not just a "meaning," but an original form of the name and perhaps a brief discussion of its history. Also, sometimes, it's possible to do a kind of primitive cross-checking online. If a site or book claims that Gina is Japanese for "silver," you can go to an online Japanese-English dictionary, plug in Gina (or silver), and see what comes up. Of course this doesn't always work, because many names are not dictionary words or have changed over time, but it can be helpful.
This message was edited 5/16/2011, 6:57 AM
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Faced with the same dilemma, most of us look for a few clues:
1) Look for signs of careful curation in the information: usually care for quality of information and its presentation go together.
2) Look for presence of details: on most topics, details cannot be eliminated completely still staying correct, and details are difficult to fake convincingly without a lot of effort.
3) Look for sign of healthy debate and dissent about the information: in most cases, some details will be controversial or known only to a few participants, but others will have the means to agree or disagree.
4) Look for absence of shrill partisan voices and suppression controversies: if participants regularly get emotional about a topic, they are probably not the best judge of the quality of information; and if they believe in a paranoid fashion that they don't get to air their views, the validity of their views will need a lot of effort to establish.
5) Look for absence of unhealthy debate where the same views are repeatedly expressed without making progress: most people who deal with quality information know how to avoid such useless expense of resources.
Epistemology!
1) Look for signs of careful curation in the information: usually care for quality of information and its presentation go together.
2) Look for presence of details: on most topics, details cannot be eliminated completely still staying correct, and details are difficult to fake convincingly without a lot of effort.
3) Look for sign of healthy debate and dissent about the information: in most cases, some details will be controversial or known only to a few participants, but others will have the means to agree or disagree.
4) Look for absence of shrill partisan voices and suppression controversies: if participants regularly get emotional about a topic, they are probably not the best judge of the quality of information; and if they believe in a paranoid fashion that they don't get to air their views, the validity of their views will need a lot of effort to establish.
5) Look for absence of unhealthy debate where the same views are repeatedly expressed without making progress: most people who deal with quality information know how to avoid such useless expense of resources.
Epistemology!
1