1. Is there a person or people named as authors? If so, name the author(s). Yes. For the Harvard Medical School Guide to a Good Night’s Sleep source, Lawrence Epstein and Steven Mardon are listed as the authors. 2. What kind of qualifications does the author have to speak on the subject? Lawrence Epstein is an instructor in Medicine, he is a Harvard Medical School Associate Physician. Lawrence Epstein is also an instructor in the division of sleep and circadian disorders at Harvard; making him more than qualified to write on the subject. Steven Mardon is an associate that worked with Lawrence Epstein at Harvard.
3. If there is not a person named as an author, does it impact the validity of the source? This source had at least one person named as an author. If there wasn’t an author listed, it definitely impacts the validity of the source. For instance, if a student chose an article that didn’t have an author listed, the student won’t be able to determine if the author was qualified to discuss the topic they chose to research. 4. Is the information clearly presented? The information on this book source is clearly presented. This source listed the effects of sleep deprivation and that it is necessary to get a certain amount of sleep a night in order to function properly.
5. Is a balanced viewpoint presented? While this book source does acknowledge the fact that people do have busy lives and that can impact their sleeping habits, it tends to lean towards one side. Since this article comes from health care professionals, they have researched and determined that sleep is necessary for the body. 6. Is there a bias? Even though this book leaned towards one side, it isn’t biased. In other words, this source clearly states that sleep is necessary, but this viewpoint is rightly justified with research and data.
7. Are the claims made backed up by evidence? As I stated above, the claims of both authors are backed up by evidence; including experiments, research, and data. 8. If so, is the evidence verifiable? Yes, the one source is verified by a Harvard physician who is an instructor in the division of sleep and medicine. 9. Is there a financial motive? For the Harvard book source, the authors are employed by Harvard. While they could have a financial motive, it is highly unlikely due to the fact that is their job to learn about these health issues and they are instructors in the sleep and circadian disorders division. 10. Is the information presented current? The Harvard book source was published in 2007 and is still current in sleep research.
11. Is the site regularly maintained? Harvard posts new discoveries about sleep when it applies; the book source is up to date on the effects of sleep deprivation. 12. If this is a LINCC source, what is the name of the magazine, journal, newspapers, or news wires (in italics). If this is from a website, who is the person or organization that sponsors/publishes the website? (The owner of the site. This question does not refer to the webmaster.) This source came from the eBook Collection database. This book source was published by Harvard associates.
13. Is there contact information for that person or organization? The Harvard associates contact information for the Division of Sleep Medicine include: Phone number: 617-983-7489 Email: [email protected] 14. Is there contact information for a webmaster? Not applicable to this source Girard, Nancy J. “Lack of Sleep Another Safety Risk Factor.” AORN Journal 78.4 (2003): 553. Health Reference Center Academic. Web. 13 Sept. 2016. .
1. Is there a person or people named as authors? If so, name the author(s). Yes, Nancy J. Girard is listed as the author for the journal article. 2. What kind of qualifications does the author have to speak on the subject? Nancy J. Girard has a PhD and she is a registered nurse. By acquiring these degrees, Nancy Girard is qualified to write an article about the risks of sleep deprivation.
3. If there is not a person named as an author, does it impact the validity of the source? This journal article listed one person as the author. If there wasn’t an author listed, it definitely impacts the validity of the source. For instance, if a student chose an article that didn’t have an author listed, the student won’t be able to determine if the author was qualified to discuss the topic they chose to research. 4. Is the information clearly presented? The information about the author and the effects of sleep deprivation is clearly presented. She used subtitles to let the readers know what the text was about. This organizational tool is helpful when attempting to find a credible, relevant source for a research paper.
5. Is a balanced viewpoint presented? While this article does acknowledge the fact that people do have busy lives and that can impact their sleeping habits, it tends to lean towards one side. Since this article comes from a registered nurse, she has personal experience with this topic and has witnessed the effects of sleep deprivation. Therefore, she has made an informed decision on the fact that people need a certain amount of sleep each night. 6. Is there a bias? Even though this article leaned towards one side, I don’t consider it to be biased. In other words, this source clearly states that sleep is necessary, but this viewpoint is rightly justified with personal experiences and research.
7. Are the claims made backed up by evidence? Yes; the claims are backed up by evidence. The author provided examples, personal experiences, and the researched effects of sleep deprivation. 8. If so, is the evidence verifiable? Yes; she is a registered nurse. As a nurse she has witnessed sleep deprivation at its finest and she verifies the evidence with facts about sleep deprivation.
9. Is there a financial motive? For the article written by a registered nurse, it is highly unlikely that she had a financial motive. For instance, she wrote about the effects of sleep deprivation on the general population and then proceeded to discuss about how nurse’s shifts can cause sleep deprivation and clearly cause more mistakes. In other words, this article would reduce her hours, lowering her wages and increasing safety in the hospital. 10. Is the information presented current? This source was written in 2003, but the effects of sleep deprivation remain up to date. The information that the author presented in this journal article is still current.
11. Is the site regularly maintained? The AORN journal is published regularly with current medical information; mainly involved with nursing. 12. If this is a LINCC source, what is the name of the magazine, journal, newspapers, or news wires (in italics). If this is from a website, who is the person or organization that sponsors/publishes the website? (The owner of the site. This question does not refer to the webmaster.) The journal is called AORN Journal. The AORN Journal has a website run by several people; including Karin Altonaga. Karin Altonaga is one of the several people who runs the website and works with display advertising.
13. Is there contact information for that person or organization? Yes, her email is [email protected] and her phone number is 714-801-8065. 14. Is there contact information for a webmaster? Yes, the email is [email protected] and the phone number is 303-755-6304.
