Kent Ridge Secondary SchoolSecondary 3 Social StudiesSource-based Question Skills: Reliability

Name: ________________________ Class: ___________ Date: _______________

What is reliability?- how believable or trustable something is. - E.g. “The world is square.” How believable is this? Why or why not?

Why do we need to know if a source is believable? - this determines if the source can be used or not, in our arguments! [especially

when we have to prove an opinion.]

HOW TO CHECK FOR RELIABILITY?

Step 1: Check your provenance

- Who wrote this source? - Is it possible that this person has a PURPOSE in writing this source? If this is so,

then this source MAY be bias and unreliable.

Step 2: Read your source

- Does the source have FACTS or just OPINIONS?o Facts: A truth that can be measured or checked.

E.g. Singapore became independent in 1965. [There is no way that this can be changed.]

o Opinions: A person’s own judgment or perspectives about something OR general statements and ideas that may or may not be true.

E.g. I think Social Studies is the best subject ever. [This perspective will be different for different people. It cannot be measured.]

E.g. Singaporeans generally are interested in YOG. o If the source is supported by FACTS, then it is quite reliable. But is this all

you need to check? o If the source has ONLY opinions, then we need double check. How?

- Does the source show only ONE perspective or does it show BOTH perspectives on the issue?

o If the source shows only ONE side, then the source can possibly by BIAS. o If the source shows TWO or more perspectives, then it is a BALANCED

and FAIR source. The author is willing to consider different perspectives about the issue.

- Is there a PURPOSE? o Is the source trying to INFLUENCE the readers to a particular opinion? o Are there hidden meanings? o Is there ANY possible reasons that the writer can choose to be bias? o Who is the author writing this to? What is the message that the

author is trying to say? What is the aim of the message? ALWAYS answer these 3 questions if you realize that there’s a

PURPOSE that the author has.

Step 3: Typicality

- Is the information from the source typical and common of what you know about the issue?

o E.g. Student A says that studying is most fun for students. Issue: studying is fun for students Is this a fact or opinion? _______________ Is this opinion common and typical for students? Would this source be considered MORE reliable or LESS reliable?

_____

Step 4: Cross-referencing

- Doublecheck the source with OTHER sources in the SBQ. - Look for ONE or TWO other sources that talk about the SAME ISSUE as the

source you are checking about. - What do the OTHER sources say?

o Do the other source SUPPORT what this source says? o Do the other source DISAGREE with what this source says? o How many sources AGREE or DISAGREE with what this source says?

- If OTHER sources support this source, then this source is MOST LIKELY reliable. If not, then it is NOT.

Step 5: Evaluate and decide if the source is reliable or unreliable.

- Is it TOTALLY reliable or TOTALLY unreliable?- Is it reliable to SOME extent?

How do you answer a question on reliability?

Qn: How reliable is source A? How to score well for such

questions? (to get high levels and more marks)

Point:Is Source A reliable or not?

Source A is ______________.

Evidence:

How do you know that Source A is reliable or not?

Did you get this information from…

1) Provenance - who is the author? - Can the author be

biased?

2) Source content - Facts versus

Opinions- How many

perspectives are there in the source content?

- Is this source typical?

3) Cross-referencing - What do the

OTHER sources say about this issue?

- Which source is more believable?

I know this because the provenance from Source A tells me who the author is. The author is ___________. This means that (you explanation here).

I know this because the source content tells me so. (Continue with explanation and quotes from the source).

I know this because Source B/C/D supports/does not support Source A. Source A says ______________ about this issue. (However,) Source B/C/D says __________________.

ALWAYS explain and support your answer using

- Source content (if you think that the author has a purpose, then write it down!) AND

- Cross-reference