Part
2: Unexplained Mysteries & Legends Project
:
ANALYZING
3 -5 SOURCES OF INFORMATION that Disagree
1. Identify the Source: Title of article –
Title of source (website) –
Author (if given) –
Retrieval Date –
URL –
2. Fact vs. Opinion
a. Overall, does this article seem to be
mostly factual or mostly opinion?
b.
Identify or give an example of the factual content. Identify or give an example of opinion
statements, if possible.
3. Identifying main ideas and supporting ideas
of the article
a.
Summarize the main ideas of the source/article.
b.
Identify any important ideas that disagree with other sources.
4. Recognizing bias, point of view, and the
author’s intent
a. What is the position of the
author? What is his/her bias or view of
your topic?
Explain why. Bias means unacknowledged shaping of the information
to match the author’s position.
Information may be omitted, understated, or overemphasized.
b. Why do you think the author wrote
this article? (What was his purpose? To
inform? To persuade you to buy or do
something? To warn you? etc.)
5. Identifying relevant background information
about the source.
a.
What
do you know about the author’s credentials?
(His/her background, education, experience, etc.) Are they good or not?
b.
Would
you trust this author’s opinion? Why or
why not?
c.
If
you do not know the author, what else do you know about the source? Is it a credible, good source?
d.
If you can’t find the author’s name, does that tell
you anything about the value of this source?
6. Judging content credibility of this source.
a.
Does
the article use logical reasoning and explanations? Explain.
b.
Does
the article offer adequate support for its assertions (main points) to prove
them? In other words, has the author
convinced you or would you need more information to believe that what he says
is true?
c.
Did
you read anything in other sources that contradicts the information given in
this source? If so, what is different?
d.
What
kind of source/medium is this? (Online
article, TV show, newspaper article, book etc.)
Does the medium affect the way the information is presented? How? (For example, movies tend to be more
dramatic than print.)
