In this paper, I explore first-year students' self-reported preferences for choosing source material in a digital, research-based writing setting. I argue that widespread skepticism towards online information has led to an "objectivity bias," where students prefer sources perceived as neutral and objective. Through qualitative interviews, I report that this bias may result in an overreliance on data-driven and empiricist sources, often at the expense of valuable personal narratives and experiential knowledge. I highlight the role of digital platforms and search algorithms in shaping these preferences and discuss the implications for teaching information literacy.

This webtext reports on research conducted at Brigham Young University in the summer of 2017 about source evaluation methods used by first-year writing students. Librarians used several methods to study how students rate online source reliability including voice recordings, screen recordings, and open response tests. This webtext provides a visual landscape of how students interacted with the articles we asked them to evaluate.