When you are doing research for a project, essay or assignment you will find a variety of different sources including websites, newspaper articles, research papers and books.. Different sources can be used in different ways. Some you might read for background information on your topic but not use them in your actual project/assignment. Others you will want to use to support your argument or to add weight to your opinion.
If you are going to use the source you need to ensure it meets the criteria that is outlined in your assignment.
Does it pass the CRAAP test?
What is meant by evaluating sources and why do I need to bother?
Evaluating your sources is a very important part of your researcher especially in todays digital environment. We all know that there is a wealth of knowledge at our finger tips with the Internet but how do we know what we read is credible, authorative and written by someone who is an expert in that field?
There are several strategies you can use for evaluating a source. Evaluation of sources is need to ensure the information you are using for your assignments are credible and reliable. Different evaluation strategies can be used for different types of sources. For example if your source is print based try evaluating using the CRAP or ADAMANT strategy. For online sources try using the Lateral Reading strategy.
ADAMANT is another tool you can use to evaluate your sources to ensure they meet the criteria outlined in your assignment and they are are credible source for the purpose of your education studies.
ADAMANT
Author: Who created the source? What do you know or what can you find out about the author? Is the author knowledgeable about this topic?
Date: When was the source produced? Does the date of the source matter? Are there similar or different sources available from the same period?
Audience: Who was the source created for? Why would this make a difference when analysing the source?
Message: What is the author trying to convey in the source? Is the author trying to get a certain reaction from their message?
Agenda: Why did the author create this source? What was the author's motive in creating this source?
Nature: What type of source has the author created? What is the author's view? How can you tell? Does the type of source influence the content? How?
Technique: Is the author using emotive or factual language? Does the language used make a difference to how you perceive the source? Does it affect the sources reliability?
Lateral Reading is a strategy for investigating who's behind an online source. It is a way of evaluating the source to ensure it is credible and reliable BEFORE you use it. Lateral Reading requires you to investigate the source by opening a new browser tab a d seeing what trusted websites are saying about the unknow source. It is a powerful strategy that fact checkers use to evaluate information online give the increase in "fake news" online content. Lateral Reading is an essential 21st century skill to ensure we can make informed decisions in a democratic society.
Watch the short YouTube clip about Lateral Reading.
So before you use a source do some Lateral Reading and find answer to three questions: