Subject Areas, Disciplines, and the Concept of Authority.

Abstract

Because evaluations of «authority» normally depend on reputations in academic circles, the use of authority in evaluating information sources requires some appreciation of the nature and limitations of relevant authority structures. A review of relevant literature demonstrates that boundaries of the subject-specific areas within which authority is established parallel those of academic disciplines. Narrower than any abstract definition of the subject area, these boundaries are based on social participation in the disciplinary community. Universities foster self-contained disciplinary communities and instill disciplinary approaches to knowledge in educated members of society. Authoritative sources are likely to be available only for information of disciplinary interest, and to present views of subjects that are as partial as those of the disciplines from which their authority is derived

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