Assignment 1
Student Name

COLL 300

Evaluating Sources: CMS (Chicago)

Bjelopera, Jerome P. “Combating Homegrown Terrorism: Enforcement Activities,” Congressional Research Service, Report (November 15, 2011): 36-53. International Security & Counter Terrorism Reference Center, EBSCOhost .

Credible Author: Jerome P. Bjelopera is recognized as a specialist in organized crime and terrorism by his peers. A Google search revealed numerous hits for him. The hits on the first page were for reputable sites ending with .edu and .org. Also, a search of his name on the Amazon website revealed he has authored a couple of books in addition to some other articles.

Reliable Publisher: The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a reliable organization. The CRS falls under the Library of Congress, and they provide policy and legal analysis to Capitol Hill members. This service is provided to all parties and is unbiased in nature. The CRS has existed for almost 100 years.

Accuracy: The article appears to be accurate in its facts. I could not find any errors or conclusions that did not add up. The author had a section on the Newburgh Four case as well as the Liberty City Seven case. These cases are well known and the facts can be easily verified through other websites if a reader was not already familiar with the cases. Bjelopera’s article is reasonable and balanced, and he backs up his assertions with credible sources. He also presented the reader with some of the existing policies in this post 9/11 world. An example of this is a quote he used from Deputy Attorney General, Paul McNulty letting the reader know what the Justice Department’s policy is regarding preventive policing. . The information he has presented in this article is pretty consistent with other information I have read on the topic.

Currency: This article was published in 2011 and is therefore, very current. The author addresses topics that are very relevant in this post 9/11 world. Two examples are the section titled “The Role of State and Local Law Enforcement” and the section called “Detecting the Shift from Radical to Violent Jihadist.”

Objectivity: Jerome P. Bjelopera’s article appears to be unbiased. It is obvious he believes that we need to do everything in our power to prevent future terrorist attacks, and he writes from this perspective. However, he does bring up opposing views. An example of this is in the section called “The Capone Approach.” He acknowledges that this method has come under attack by the media.

Byman, Daniel. “Strategic Surprise and the September 11 Attacks.” Annual Review Of Political Science 8, no. 1 (June 2005): 145-170. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost

Credible Author: Dr. Daniel L. Byman is a professor at Georgetown University in the School of Foreign Service. He was a member of the 9/11 Commission and the Joint 9/11 Inquiry Staff of the House and Senate Intelligence Committees. He is highly respected in topics related to terrorism, international security, and the Middle East. In addition, he had numerous hits come up after conducting a google search on him.

Reliable Publisher: Annual Reviews is a nonprofit scientific publisher. Annual Reviews has been in existence since 1932. It was created by scientists and its mission is to publish scientific reviews in 40 different scientific fields. It is managed by scientists and is considered a reliable organization.

Accuracy: The information is very accurate and backed up with numerous, credible sources. It is filled with a lot of useful, factual information that can be easily verified. The report appears to be well balanced and complete. Byman offered six examples of missed opportunities for intelligence in regards to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. These aren’t just his assumptions, these are facts that were uncovered by the 9/11 Commission. They are all well documented.

Currency: This report was published in 2005 and the information is still accurate and current today in this post 9/11 world.

Objectivity: The author was unbiased in his report. He presented ideas that were backed up by facts. Although this report discusses the failure to anticipate the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the points he brought up are widely agreed upon by various government officials and organizations.