Research Guides: Democracy vs. Autocracy / Authoritarianism / Fascism / Totalitarianism: Featured Authors

Authority is Constructed and Contextual

Evaluating sources and information includes an evaluation of the author or creator.

Always ask yourself: Who do you trust? Who do you believe? Why?

When deciding on whether to spend your time on an information source or resource you should consider:

the authority of the author or creator
the level of authority you require in order to meet your information needs.

Information resources reflect their creators’ expertise and credibility, and need to be evaluated based on the information need and the context in which the information will be used.

This is summarized in the statement: Authority is constructed and contextual.

"Authority is constructed" means that authority is built on the experience, knowledge, and reputation of the author. Authority standards vary by communities who may recognize different types of authority.

"Authority is contextual" means that the context of your information need will determine the level of authority required.

Some guidelines and considerations when considering the authority of an author or information creator:

Authors and information creators can bring authority to their work through a variety of means. Different types of authority include subject expertise (e.g., academic scholarship), societal position (e.g., public office or job/title), or special experience (e.g., participating in a historic event).
In order to determine the credibility of sources, research the authors and information creators with online searches or other means, looking for indicators of authority. Look out for elements that might temper this credibility.
Many disciplines have acknowledged authorities in the sense of well-known scholars and publications that are widely considered “standard.” These can be helpful guides in determining authority, and yet, even in those situations, some scholars would challenge the authority of those sources.
As you start out you may rely on basic indicators of authority, such as type of publication or author credentials, but as you become more of an expert yourself, you can recognize schools of thought or discipline-specific paradigms that will add more nuance to authority determinations.
Approach your evaluation with an attitude of informed skepticism, but at the same time, an openness to new perspectives, additional voices, and changes in schools of thought.
Recognize that authoritative content may be packaged formally or informally and may include sources of all media types.
Understand the increasingly social nature of the information ecosystem where authorities actively connect with one another and sources develop over time.
Determine the suitability of the resource, including authority of the creator, based on your information need. For example, writing an academic research paper, doing something less academically vigorous, or following the news will have different levels of authority requirements.
Remember that you are developing your own authoritative voice in a particular area and recognize the responsibilities this entails, including seeking accuracy and reliability, respecting intellectual property, and participating in communities of practice i.e. an organized group of people with a common interest.

"Authority Is Constructed and Contextual" is the Association of College & Research Libraries' (ACRL) Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education's first frame. The above explanation was based on and modified from the text of the frame.

Comments on Authors in this Research Guide

Authors for the books in April's Featured Book display and in this research guide were evaluated for their authority, emphasizing the criteria of scholarly and professional expertise.

They include professors at well-regarded academic institutions, journalists at highly regarded publications, and some from the world of politics.

Several are currently writing or podcasting on these topics in online spaces. Below is a list of the authors with links to their online publications or more recent activity.

Scholarship is Conversation, after all.

Selected Authors' Bios

The authors with hyperlinks below link to the author's Substack or podcast. (For the Substack pages, click on "Continue Reading" or "No Thanks" to get to the page without subscribing.)

Authors without current writing posted online do not have links, but a little bio is included.

Anne Applebaum
An American journalist, who currently writes for The Atlantic, and a historian who has written extensively on the Soviet Union.
Mark Bray
An activist and historian of modern Spain and the world, focusing on politics, human rights, and transnational history who teaches at Rutgers University.
Ferico Finchelstein
An Argentine historian and an expert on transatlantic Fascism and the modern history of Argentina.
Masha Gessen
A Russian and American journalist and author who has written extensively on the Russian government and LGBT rights.
Steven Levitsky
An American political scientist and professor of Latin American Studies and of government at Harvard University who writes on the current state of American democracy.
Arthur Lupia
An American political scientist who is a professor at the University of Michigan, whose research concerns how information and institutions affect policy and politics, with a focus on how people make decisions when they lack information.
Barbara McQuade
An American lawyer, former United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Michigan, professor at Michigan Law. She co-hosts a podcast with three other lawyers.
Martha C. Nussbaum
An American philosopher, author, and professor of Law and Ethics at the University of Chicago, where she is jointly appointed in the law school and the philosophy department.
Robert O. Paxton
An American political scientist and historian who taught at Columbia University specializing in Vichy France, fascism, and Europe during the World War II era.
Discussion with Robert O. Paxton on his thinking in January 2021 on the designation of Fascism immediately after January 6th, 2021.: Zerofsky, Elisabeth. "Is it Fascism? A Leading Historian Changes His Mind". New York Times (Online), 23 Oct 2021, New York Times Company, New York, 2024. (RHC authentication required.)
David Pepper
A politician who served as chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party, some local offices, and has written many books both fiction and non-fiction.
Heather Cox Richardson
An American historian and professor of history at Boston College who teaches on the American Civil War, the Reconstruction Era, the American West, and the Plains Indians.
Timothy Snyder
A history professor at Yale whose work concerns east European history, the Holocaust, the history of the Soviet Union, and the history of Ukraine.
Jason Stanley
A Professor of Philosophy at Yale University studies epistemology (theory of knowledge) and is an authority on propaganda and fascism whose work often views contemporary politics and foreign affairs through the lens of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust.