Right words, wrong year
A guide says, "To set up the Wi-Fi, press the blue button on the back." You press it. Nothing happens.
The guide was for the 2016 model. Yours has no blue button. The words were fine. The source did not fit.
Key words
| Word | What it means | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Citation | a note that says where a fact came from | a link to the maker's test results |
| Evidence | facts, tests or data that back up a claim | |
| Context | the situation around a fact: which product, which place, which job | |
| Target audience | the people a source was written for | |
| Version | a numbered release of a product or a document | version 4.2 |
| Publication date | the day a source was first shared | |
| Outdated | too old to be right now | |
| Bias | an unfair lean towards one side |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
By the end of this lesson
Note
I can check a source for evidence, fit, audience, version and date.
Starter
Have a go
Starter
3 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.
Six checks of a source
| Check | Ask | A good sign | A warning sign |
|---|---|---|---|
| Evidence and citations | Where does it show proof? | Links to tests or the maker's notes | Big claims, no proof |
| Relevant context | Is it about my product and my job? | Same model, same size of office | About a different product |
| Appropriate | Is the detail right for me? | Clear, at my level | Far too basic or too hard |
| Target audience | Who was it written for? | Technical words for an engineer, plain words for a user | Written for the wrong reader |
| Version | Does it match my version? | Same version number | Older version |
| Publication date | Is it recent enough? | This year | Many years old |
The cells students fill in are left blank in this preview.
Audience and version
A page for users uses plain words, like restart the box. A page for engineers uses technical words, like reload the configuration. Choose the one that fits your reader.
Software changes fast. Match the version number first. Then look at the publication date: an old page may be outdated.
Cyber Security also checks bias
In cyber security, the list also says: absence of bias. A personal opinion should not shape the facts.
A page that says "Brand X is the only safe choice" and sells Brand X fails this check. Bias has its own lessons later.
Check
Have a go
Check
4 questionsYour answers are marked here and are not kept. A college account keeps every student’s marks.