Types of Sources and Evidence

​Types of Sources

Unit 1: Introduction to Government

Multiple Choice

Why does media literacy matter?

• Media literacy promotes blind acceptance of information.
• Media literacy matters because it helps individuals critically evaluate media content and make informed decisions.
• Media literacy is only important for journalists.
• Media literacy is irrelevant in the digital age.

Multiple Select

What are the three questions you should ask yourself when looking at a source?

• Who is behind the information?

• What is the evidence?

• What do other sources say?

• Do I like this person?

Source Types and Reliability

The following slides describe different types of sources of varying reliability.

Report events
(check if straight news or opinion)

News Articles

Systematic investigation
(peer-reviewed - quality-control process in academic publishing where experts in a specific field evaluate for accuracy, methodology, and validity before publication)

Research Studies

Personal perspectives (verified account?)

Social
Media
Post

Someone's viewpoint

Opinion Pieces

Paid promotion
(is it marked as sponsored or an advertisement?)

​Sponsored Content

General information

​Encyclopedia Articles

Multiple Choice

Which of the following sources is generally considered the least reliable?

• A peer-reviewed academic journal.

• A government website (.gov).

• A personal blog.

• A university website (.edu).

Multiple Choice

Which type of article would be someone's personal viewpoint?

• news article

• opinion piece

• encyclopedia article

• research study

Multiple Select

What tags or indicators might you see on sponsored content?

• sponsored

• advertisement

• news

• sports

Multiple Choice

How could a social media post be used as a source?

• reliable historical document for events

• provide detailed academic research and analysis

• primary source for legal and governmental data

• show firsthand information, public sentiment, and current events

Multiple Choice

How is a news article different than an opinion piece?

• A news article is subjective and reflects personal views, while an opinion piece is factual and objective.
• A news article is factual and objective, whereas an opinion piece is subjective and reflects personal views.
• A news article is a personal narrative, whereas an opinion piece is a summary of events.
• A news article is written for entertainment, while an opinion piece provides detailed analysis.

Multiple Choice

Which type of source is this?

• social media post

• sponsored content

• encyclopedia article

• newspaper article

Multiple Choice

Which type of source is this?

• research study

• news article

• social media post

• encyclopedia article

Reorder

Organize these sources from how useful they would be in supporting an argument with specific evidence about an event. 1 is most useful, 3 is least useful.

• news article

• encyclopedia entry

• social media post

1

2

3

• 1
• 2
• 3

Different Types of Evidence

What types of evidence might be in sources?

Statistics, charts, graphs

Numerical
Data

Quotes from qualified individuals

Expert
Testimony

Formal investigations with methodology

Research
Studies

Relevant past events

Historical
Examples

Collected opinions
(check sample size)

Surveys or Polls

Photos, videos
(check context)

Visual
Evidence

Personal stories
(limited reliability)

Anecdotes

Multiple Choice

Which of these is an anecdote?

• A short, amusing story about a real incident.
• A detailed analysis of a scientific theory.
• A brief summary of a historical event.
• A lengthy novel about fictional characters.

Multiple Choice

This photo of U.S. Marines planting the American flag on Iwo Jima is an example of what?

• surveys

• anecdote

• visual evidence

• expert testimony

Multiple Choice

How can polls be used as evidence?

• Polls are only useful for entertainment purposes.
• Polls can predict future events with certainty.
• Polls are primarily used for marketing strategies.
• Polls provide quantitative data reflecting public opinion.

Multiple Choice

Which type of evidence does this show?

• anecdote

• survey data

• historical evidence

• research study

Multiple Choice

Why is it important to check the publication date of an online article when evaluating its reliability?

• Older articles are always more reliable.

• Information may have changed, making the article outdated.

• Recent articles are less likely to be peer-reviewed.

• The publication date indicates the popularity of the article.