Your friend asks for your help checking their essay about sugar production and use in plants. They have found an online encyclopedia that says the following. "Plants produce glucose via photosynthesis. Glucose is linked together to form the carbohydrate starch." Your friend is confused, though, because a university website states that "glucose is linked together to form cellulose, the main part of plant cell walls."

Question

Help your friend fact check their information. In 3 paragraphs, describe how they can determine which website(s) to believe.

Answer 1

To evaluate the reliability of the information presented by the online encyclopedia and the university website, your friend should first consider the credibility of each source. Academic and university websites, especially those associated with reputable institutions, are generally considered reliable because they undergo rigorous review processes and are created by experts in the field. In contrast, online encyclopedias can vary significantly in quality and accuracy. Your friend should check for the authorship, citations, and the date of the information to see if it aligns with current scientific understanding. Sources that provide references to peer-reviewed studies or well-established textbooks are often more credible.

Next, your friend can cross-reference the information provided by both sources with other reliable materials, such as textbooks on plant biology and peer-reviewed scientific articles. By looking for consensus among multiple academic resources, your friend can gauge the accuracy of the claims regarding glucose conversion in plants. For example, they can explore sections on photosynthesis and carbohydrate synthesis in college-level biology textbooks or credible online resources, such as educational websites like the Khan Academy or the USDA. This will help them better understand the processes of starch and cellulose formation and clarify the different roles these carbohydrates play in plant biology.

Additionally, your friend should consider the context and specificity of the information being presented. While the encyclopedia mentions that glucose is linked to form starch, which is true for energy storage in plants, the university website’s reference to cellulose is also accurate but pertains to structural components of the plant cell wall. A well-rounded understanding of plant carbohydrate biology reveals that both processes are essential: glucose can be used to form starch for energy storage, while some glucose molecules are also used to create cellulose, giving structural integrity to plant cells. By synthesizing this knowledge from various credible sources, your friend can confidently determine the accurate information regarding sugar production and use in plants.