1. EVALUATING SOURCES BNDS | Grade 11 Advisory Sessions | 10.13.14

2. CARS Framework C redibility Goal: A source that is created by a person or organization who knows the subject and who cares about its quality. A ccuracy Goal: A source with information this is current, complete, and correct. R easonableness Goal: A source that is truthful and unbiased. S upport Goal: A source with verifiable sources of information.

3. Activity  Separate into four groups.  Scenario: You’ve been assigned to write a research paper on the growing problem of childhood obesity. You must incorporate evidence from several reliable sources.  Task: Your group will receive a source related to the topic of obesity. As a group, you must evaluate one criteria (listed on the top), determining if the source is very reliable, somewhat reliable, or not reliable.  Use your CARS Evaluation Summary sheets for guidance.

4. Group 1: Credibility

5.  This website is not reliable because…  there is no publisher listed.  there is no way of proving whether the author— nyanthony100—is an authority on this subject.  the domain is.com, which means it is a commercial website. In addition, there are advertisements at the top of the page.

6. Group 2: Accuracy

7.  This journal article is somewhat reliable because…  it probably agrees with other sources since the article was published in a peer reviewed journal.  the author doesn’t contradict herself.  it is NOT up-to-date. Because the journal article was published in 1928, the information is probably out of date.  there are not spelling or grammar errors.  Even if this information is correct, you would want to find a more up-to-date article!

8. Group 3: Reasonableness

9.  This journal article is very reliable because…  the publisher—the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute—is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. Although they are primarily concerned with improving health, they rely on research and are not motivated by financial profit.  the purpose of this website is to objectively inform readers about health risks related to obesity.

10. Group 4: Support

11.  This infographic is somewhat reliable because…  the creators of this infographic consulted the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) for these statistics.  this is not the original CDC source. As a result, it would be wise to find these statistics in the original source before citing them in your paper.

12. Final Note  Some sources may score high on some criteria and lower in others.  Use your informed judgment to determine whether the source is reliable enough.  The more reliable the source, the more persuasive you sound  The less reliable the source, the less persuasive you sound   If you don’t cite any of your sources, you will be plagiarizing!