If you have gathered information that is relevant to your research topic but is too general to provide specific support to your arguments, you should probably a. present that information last. b. omit that information from your essay. c. begin the research process a second time. d. use that information to formulate your thesis statement.

You would C., begin the research process a second time, because DEFINITELY in a research paper/topic you need the MOST information, facts, and details about your topic to really inform as much as possible to your readers about your topic! If it's a lil relevant and too general to give specific support, that shows you need to rewrite your paper, as you may get scored poorly as it does not sufficiently answer the prompt. 
I hope I helped! ;-;

Of course it would help. it increase their credibility and especially if they have a celebrity endorsement