Imagine you work in an urgent care clinic, and for one of your graduate classes you’re writing a research paper on the financial impact of the Affordable Care Act. During the research-gathering process, you weigh the value of the following sources of evidence:
1- Personal observations gathered over two years working at the clinic
2- Workplace data obtained from your direct supervisor at the clinic
3- Meta-analysis of 30+ hospitals in 7 U.S. states, published in peer-reviewed article
4- Case study of hospitals in one Alabama county, published in peer-reviewed article
5- New York Times article on ACA
6- Report issued by Dept. of Health and Human Services regarding national ACA compliance
Explain the reasons guiding your ranking of the sources. If you believe any sources are of equal value, or that additional information is needed to assess any source(s), be sure to explain this as well.
Discuss the general lessons about evidence that can be gleaned from the hierarchy of sources you’ve composed. In other words, what qualities should one look for in a research source? What makes certain sources more credible and appropriate than others? What sorts of sources should you avoid when crafting research assignments?
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