It is important to examine an
author’s and/or publisher’s institutional affiliations and/or previous works
because this is important when vetting your sources for bias and therefore
credibility. What is meant by this? Well, let’s say you were doing research on a
gun control issue. Let’s further say you
have discovered a really good, well-written article in support of gun control in
favor of gun rights/the right to bear arms.
However, upon doing a little investigating, you discover that the author
of the article is in fact a member of the National Rifle Association. As such, the article is most likely biased
and therefore not a reliable source of information. So, again, it is important
to always examine an author’s or publisher’s institutional affiliations as well
as previous works.
