Remember, ethos refers to the credibility of someone making an argument, the likelihood that what they say will be found compelling because of how they present the information, the expertise they have, their reputation, etc.
You should evaluate the ethos of all of your sources. Would you give the same weight to any website on the internet that you would give to an academic, peer-reviewed journal?
Take a look at the following websites and make notes about the credibility of each.
Reading the Short Story
All About Explorers
How to Write an Academic Essay
Help Save the Endangered Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus
Once you’ve made your initial notes, review the sites again using the University of Southern Maine’s web resources checklist.
A note about Wikipedia: use to get a general understanding of a topic, but do not rely on as a source!
Return to your notes on the sample websites. Choose two sites and answer the following questions in well-developed, well-supported paragraphs.
Which elements (voice/tone, rhetorical style, visual style, use of reliable sources, etc.) of the two sample websites did you find most compelling? Why? How were the authors able to simulate ethos?
Which elements did you find least compelling? How did you determine site credibility?
