Evaluating Research:
Author's Reputation
Authors have reputations about their research. You can judge an author's reputation by reading reviews about the work, determine if they have won any prizes or awards, and find out if other people are citing their materials.
Discussion
Because of her outspoken views on the Equal Rights Amendment and feminism, in 1979, Sonia Johnson was excommunicated from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Given her reputation, we can assume that Wildfire: Igniting the She/volution is a highly charged political text. The fact that Wildfire is overtly political does not, however, make it a bad piece of research. But knowing Johnson's reputation does help us evaluate the validity of the contents.
Validity of a Google Search
When searching the Internet to get background information on an author, you need to remember that two or more people can have the same name. For example, from a Google search, you will learn that Dr. Sonia Johnson is currently a Reader in Social and Community Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the University College London. However, this Dr. Johnson is not the author of Wildfire.
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