Homework: Research Project for Addiction Course
Research Project Description -
These days, many people use the internet for their sources of information on drugs. However, many internet sites don't always have the most objective or valid information. Some websites may have a particular agenda (such as promoting the legalization of drugs, or supporting a stronger War on Drugs), and therefore use selective bias in their information. Others may be written by non-experts who are simply giving their opinion without substantiating their claims. In some cases it may be hard to tell if the information you are reading was written by an expert on substance abuse issues who works in a drug research center, or a high school student writing a blog in their parent's basement.
For your Homework you need to select one illegal drug (i.e., marijuana, cocaine, heroin, ecstasy, etc.), and compare and contrast two different websites that give information about that drug. You first need to compare the information on each site. Then you need to critically analyze the information on each site in terms of its validity and objectivity. In order to do that you should address the following points in your comparison.
1) What is the purpose and affiliation of the organization or author of the website?
2) What are the author's credentials?
3) Is the information current? When was the information last updated?
4) Does the source contain bias without evidence to back up the claims?
Finally, you need to discuss which website you find more credible and why. To do this, you should cross-reference the information on the websites with peer reviewed journal articles that you found on an academic database at the NYIT Library. Generally, peer reviewed articles are considered more credible because they have been checked for validity issues prior to being published. Therefore, if your websites contain information that can also be found in a peer-reviewed research article, it gives it more credibility. In other words, for this Homework, you not only have to compare the two websites, but should also find a few academic articles to cross reference the information with.
Format your homework according to the give formatting requirements:
• The answer must be using Times New Roman font (size 12), double spaced, typed, with one-inch margins on all sides.
• The response also includes a cover page containing the student's name, the title of the homework, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
• Also include a reference page. The references and Citations should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.