Evaluating Research:
Fiction
Some individuals might mistakenly think that you can only use fiction as evidence when writing about literature. However, fiction can sometimes be used to illustrate points in papers written for other disciplines. The life of a fictional character might be representative of people who really lived during a specific time period and could be used as an example. Or something in fiction might be representative of societal or cultural attitudes.
Discussion
Joyce Elbert's Murder at AA is a delightful murder mystery by someone who does not even have even a rudimentary understanding on Alcoholics Anonymous. Whereas, Agatha Christy did such fine research that information about poisons found in her novels has almost the credibility of a medical text book.
Special Notes on Web Pages
Not everything you read on the Internet is true. Examples of fiction masquerading as truth abound. "TruthOrFiction.com is a web site where Internet users can quickly and easily get information about eRumors, warnings, offers, requests for help, myths, hoaxes, virus warnings, and humorous or inspirational stories that are circulated by email."
Have you seen the photograph of the soldier in a helicopter who was attached by a great white shark? The photograph shows a soldier hanging from a helicopter that is hovering over the ocean. A huge great white shark is leaping from the water and is about to bite the soldier. A bridge is in the background of the background.
The photograph is reputed to be truth, but is it really fiction? The answer can be found on the TruthOrFiction web site.
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