9.2: Types of Expertise and Influence
- Page ID
- 260917
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Expertise: What Makes Someone an Authority on a Topic?
People develop different types of expertise on a topic through different types of training and experience, including:
- Education
- Personal experience
- Professional practice
Consider surfing as an example. An experienced surfer might be able to distinguish between different types of waves and ride them expertly without fully understanding the science behind how the waves are created. On the other hand, a scientist with a PhD in physical oceanography might understand the processes that create different types of waves in great detail, without being able to surf any of them. The surfer and the oceanographer have different types of expertise related to waves. Depending on the type of information you need, one or the other of them might be a better authority.
Whose Voices Get Heard?
In addition to considering different types of authority, it is important to consider who is most able to publish and share information and who is more likely to encounter barriers to publishing and sharing their expertise. The publishing process, the published sources available, and the voices represented in those sources, reflect the biases of the society that produces information sources. For example, many researchers have noted a gender bias in academic publishing that results in women being underrepresented as editors, reviewers, and authors of scholarly journal articles.
Evaluating Authority
To evaluate the credibility and usefulness of an information source, you will need to identify the type of expertise the creator of the information has and determine whether that type of expertise is appropriate for your needs.
Keep in mind that a certain type of expertise in one area doesn't guarantee expertise in another. For example, having a PhD in physics doesn't make someone an expert in nutrition or art history.
You can research someone’s expertise by Googling them – see what others say about them, not just what they say about themselves! Scholarly articles should include the authors’ professional affiliations – you can learn more by going to their universities’ websites.