Sources credibility is a burning issue of the information era the United States and the whole world are currently going through. Reliability of information can influence various spheres of life, and healthcare services are no exclusion. For instance, it is essential for evidence-based models addressing specific conditions and diseases. Autism spectrum disorder is an example of the issue that requires professionals to be extremely careful with the sources they apply.
To begin with, it is vital to describe the diagnosis under discussion – autism spectrum disorder. It is a group of conditions that affects 1 in 54 children in the United States in 2020 (Autism Speaks, 2020). Autism is characterized by repetitive behavior, poor social skills, and problems with verbal and non-verbal communication (Lord et al., 2020). Patients experience issues with language development, as well as poor nonverbal skills (Lord et al., 2020). Children with autism can be brilliant at mathematics or music, but it can be challenging to engage them in other areas (Lord et al., 2020). Their attention can be easily distracted by a stimulus that people without autism hardly mention (Lord et al., 2020). Thus, this spectrum disorder is a suitable example to study the problem of credible sources.
Speaking of the reliability of various sources that the contemporary information age provides scholars and young experts with, there are some essential criteria. Firstly, outdated sources are not considered credible, as the subject under their discussion could have changed (Hardalov et al., 2016). Secondly, an author or a source must have a reputation: either it is a peer-reviewed scientific journal or an Internet site of an international organization (Hardalov et al., 2016). Thirdly, a reliable source can be found in academic databases or libraries (Hardalov et al., 2016). Social media and blogs are considered less credible, as authors are not responsible for the information they spread. Even the source named in this paragraph can be checked, according to the scheme explained: Hardalov’s piece (2016) was published recently, in a digest of a respectable scientific conference. Therefore, there are multiple yet simple criteria that need to be considered when seeking credible research sources.
There can be various examples of the sources’ credibility and relevance within the context of autism spectrum disorder. For example, an interview from the World Health Organization’s Bulletin is cited below (2017). It is relatively up-to-date and published by a scientific journal that affects the reputation of one of the key international organizations in the world. Thus, this source must be responsible and accurate about everything published under the name of WHO. Another example it the article of Lord et al. (2020): it is entirely related to the issue and is also very recent. The article is a part of an issue of Nature Review Disease Premiers, a peer-reviewed journal, so this source is reliable. Finally, Autism Speaks (2020) statistics on autism in the U.S. is up-to-date. This NGO values its status and cannot afford to promote irrelevant information. In other words, the sources credibility test is an easy procedure that allows to assess the level of analysis carried out by an author of a piece.
Finally, it is essential to incorporate reliable sources into an evidence-based model used to address autism spectrum disorder. Patients may benefit from evidence-based practices in the realm according to the World Health Organization, they are the way expert’s community builds confidence as they “provide information about the harm that untested treatments can do, either through actual adverse effects or by replacing an evidence-based treatment” (Soares, 2017, p. 600). Best and current evidence guarantees this model’s success, so, in other words, credible sources are the key to efficiency.
To conclude, attention to sources’ reliability is vital for any realm, including the healthcare system, especially – the evidence-based models. The case of autism spectrum disorder demonstrates its importance for patients. Moreover, the sources’ assessment scheme does not seem challenging, so professionals must follow the simple rules of choosing recent sources from respectable journals. The more an organization values its status, the more careful it is with the information it spreads.
References
Autism Speaks. (2020). Autism statistics and facts. Web.
Hardalov, M., Koychev, I., & Nakov, P. (2016). In search of credible sources. International Conference on Artificial Intelligence: Methodology, Systems, and Applications, 172 – 180.
Lord, C., Brugha, T., Charman, T., Cusack, J., Dumas, G., Fraizer, T., Jones, E., Jones, R., Pickles, A., State, M., Taylor, J., & Veenstra-VanderWeele. (2020). Autism spectrum disorder. Nature Review Disease Premiers, 6(5).
Soares, A. (2017). Making evidence-based approaches to autism accessible. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 95(8), 545 – 608.