Sources

Sources for research and investigation:

In class we discussed the difference between a good source and a bad one.  Here are some of the words the students came up with and examples to distinguish between the two.

Good source:  reliable, informative, unbiased (tells both sides and sticks to facts), official, not open to the public for editing, trusted and verified.

Ex: published books, textbooks, trusted newspapers (Globe and Mail), government broadcasts (CBC), journal articles, encyclopedias, trusted magazines (National Geographic) and official website (NASA). 

All sources from Learn Alberta Online Reference Center are verified Learn Alberta - Online reference center

Bad source: not trustworthy, biased, inappropriate, open to the public for editing, fake, unverified and personal.

Ex: personal blogs and websites, social media (twitter, instagram), unofficial websites, opinion articles, very dated material (depending on the topic), youtube

Rubric for evaluating sources:

                                         4                                  3                                2                                1

Sources

A variety of many good sources used (3+) All information relates to topic and research questions Sources are found with guidance

A variety of good sources (2-3) used for information and to check other so-so sources Most information relates to topic of research Sources are found with guidance

Only using 1-2 good sources Or using a mix of bad and so-so sources Most of the information does not relate to topic Support is required to find all sources

All bad choices of sources (see example on blog) Only 1 source is used Sources don’t relate to research topic The teacher finds the sources for you