Ideas on how to evaluate Documents and Sources
- Who, What, Where, When, Why – ask these questions about the source.
- Provenance, use this word a lot in your argument – where is the source coming from.
- Never say a source is bias.
- Cross-reference the sources that you have been given. This is a fundamental part of evaluating and writing an essay on sources.
- Tone and language. E.g. Is the source passionate, aggressive, emotive…
- Check and question a source using your own knowledge. For example did the event actually take place, or did it occur in a different way to the one that is mentioned in the source.
- Explain similarity and differences between the sources.
- End your argument with a Judgement + Conclusion + Summation of your ideas and arguments.
- Provenance –where it comes from
- Who wrote it – background of the author
- Why was it written
- Who is it written for
- What
does it say – content, message
- What
does the source not say- omissions ect.
- Do
the sources corroborate with one another or do they conflict.
- Is
it typical
- Is
it valid
- Is
it reliable
- Is
the source significant
- Authenticity
- Completeness
- Consistency
- Representative
- Typicality
- Usefulness
- Dating
- Reliability
- Authorship
- Audience
– Who was the source originally intended for
This is how each of your paragraphs should be formed:
Stated factor (argument) – basically the point you want to
make
+
Reference to a source or sources if they support or conflict
with your point
+
Other factors or notable points – It can also be argued
ect…. The author has the benefit of hindsight or say, the source is intended to
influence for political purposes.