Question

Your research question is "What is the evidence and what are the arguments that support the
assertion that climate change is happening?" Which choices are likely to be trustworthy sources for
this research question? Select all that apply.
1. position statement from the American Meteorological Society
2. independent report prepared by twenty-six leading climate scientists
3. definitions of "climate change" and "global warming" from Wiktionary
4. report published by a lobbying firm for the oil and gas industry that questions the conclusions of climate scientists

Answer 1

Choices 1 and 2.

- 1 (American Meteorological Society position statement): professional scientific society statements summarize the peer-reviewed evidence and represent expert consensus — trustworthy for this question.
- 2 (independent report by twenty-six leading climate scientists): a report authored by recognized experts is also a credible source of evidence and arguments.

Notes on the others:
- 3 (Wiktionary): crowdsourced and not authoritative for scientific evidence or detailed explanations; useful only for informal definitions but not as a primary source.
- 4 (oil-and-gas industry lobbying firm report): likely biased by vested interests; it can be examined to understand counterarguments but should be treated with caution and checked against peer‑reviewed science.