When researching at university you are expected to cite people who are considered an 'authority' on the subject. But authority is a constructed and contextual concept:
Authority is constructed in that various communities may recognise different types of authority, such as lived experience. Academic publishing systems privilege certain voices, but other forms of publishing have emerged from marginalised communities, e.g. zines, newsletters and newspapers. We need to determine the validity of the information created by different authorities and acknowledge the biases that privilege some sources of authority over others, in relation to others worldviews, gender, ethnicity, sexuality, and cultural backgrounds.
Authority is contextual in that different kinds of projects or discussions may require voices that have been historically excluded from publication systems. Unlikely voices can be considered authoritative, depending on the subject area and research approach.
