Abstract: This experimental study looked at the effects of newspaper "adwatches" designed to check the factualness of political advertising in a local campaign. Using the Elaboration Likelihood Model as a framework, the study tested source credibility as a peripheral cue vs. argument quality as a central processing cue. Dependent variables included evaluation of the candidate, the ad, and likelihood of voting for the candidate. Dissertation Discovery Company and the University of Florida are dedicated to making scholarly works more discoverable and accessible throughout the world. This dissertation, "Unleashing the Watchdogs on Political Advertising" by Jennifer D. Greer, was obtained from the University of Florida and is being sold with permission from the author. A free digital copy of this work may also be found in the university's institutional repository, the IR@UF. The content of this dissertation has not been altered in any way. We have altered the formatting in order to facilitate the ease of printing and reading of the dissertation.