Last week, I talked about the difference between primary and secondary sources. I mentioned the importance of identifying credible sources but didn’t explore that in depth. Today, I want to talk about some guidelines for finding trustworthy sources… and why Wikipedia can be a good place to start.
Wikipedia
This is the go-to site when you want superficial information super fast. We all use it and we all know that it can be… not always accurate. However, while you can’t trust it as the final word, you can definitely use it as a starting point.
Wikipedia is a great way to search for reliable resources. Scroll to the bottom of a Wikipedia entry and you’ll usually find a wealth of sources to explore.
Why Resources are Important
Students need credible sources to:
- Supplement curriculum
- Find information on current events
- Complete research papers and projects
Homeschool educators need credible sources:
- For the same reasons as students, but also…
- To create their own curriculum or unit studies.
We’ve been doing a semester on Environmental History this fall. Much of our study has focused on wildfire and water management here in the Western United States. I’ve accessed most of our resources online.
Before I start to read or summarize the articles I’ve found, I go over the following:
- When the information was published.
- Who wrote the article.
- Who published the article.
I do this out loud at the beginning of the lesson. I’m modeling what every single one of us should be doing when we look up information.
Date Published
As noted in last week’s post, I often use information from an ‘old source’. But then I’ll follow it up with a search for updated information. For example, as we read about the decline in dam construction, we came across coverage of the rejected proposal for a ‘new’ dam and reservoir for the Denver area in 1990. For ‘closure’, I found a 2019 followup article that gave us a taste of current perspective, conflicts, and potential solutions.
Author/Publisher
The author(s) and/or publisher should be a recognized authority in their field. The author might be a university professor, a government official, or an industry leader. There’s not a whole lot of guesswork here. It’s easy to do a search on an author and determine if they have the background needed. If you think they’re biased but you consider them an important source, you can look for an opposing viewpoint to present.
The publisher or website should be… legitimate, for lack of a better word. If you’re not sure of the domain name, you can look up and see who owns the domain.
I attended a teacher training for National History Day a few years ago. During a session on teaching research methods, we were shown a website for Martin Luther King Jr. At first glance, the website looked okay. A closer look showed false information and then, here’s the kicker – scrutiny of the domain name showed it was backed by a white supremacist group.
Additional Research Help
A great guideline for research is the CRAAP test, which was developed by the Miriam Library at California State University, Chico. This test, which is widely used in educational settings is as follows:
- Currency – when was the information posted or published?
- Relevancy – what is the importance of the information for your research?
- Authority – who wrote this and what are their qualifications?
- Accuracy – is the information supported by evidence?
- Purpose – why is this information available?
National History Day also has some nice video tutorials under Quick Digital Research Tips.
There is so much information available to us – it’s simultaneously difficult and wonderful. Use the best practices possible for identifying credible sources and you’ll automatically enhance your homeschool learning.
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