When I read an article, I assume everything is true. If the article sounds strong and the author writes with authority, I would not even think twice about whether or not the information is faulty. As a young student, I may be susceptible to the works of others. I assume that because the work of literature has been published and presented to me I would not have to do any further research on a topic. Of course, if I am writing a lab report or something along those lines, I use multiple sources, but in all honesty, it is not because I think I need to check the work of other authors, it is to check my work.
In this sense, I am much like Janet. When I first began reading the article Writing Without Authority I was surprised that we would have to relate to either Janet or Roger. This is because I assumed no one would be as careless as Janet. Unfortunately, the more I read, the more I recognized the similarities I had with her. I never saw these traits in myself as careless, but seeing them in another person highlights all the problems with assuming the information in an article is true and using it as facts.
Roger is much wiser than Janet; during this study, Roger was completing his doctoral work in philosophy while Janet was just a freshman in college.
Roger can take articles and write about the information as if it is a hypothesis and theories that still need solving. He does not confirm that the information is factual, because he can not do so without knowing and understanding the circumstances the author wrote in, and the research that came with it. Throughout the trial, Roger consistently took the texts provided with a grain of salt. He was aware that the claims made in the work were negotiable, whereas Janet assumed that the information provided was definitive.
This made me take a deeper look at what Janet may be missing, as I am now curious why I also write in the way that Janet does at times. Honestly, I do not think I have ever been taught that it is possible for the text provided by my teachers and professors not to be exact. I wonder if this is something that my peers have also experienced and if not when they were taught to never assume the author provided complete information or to ensure the credibility of the author. I was always taught to use texts as sources because the information provided was always factual.
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