English Career Resources
Research
Introduction
End task – write to inform and explain
Setting the ground rules
for the writing
Independent research
Fact and opinion
Different texts make for different versions of reality
Interim presentations
Useful acronym's KWL
and QuADS frameworks
Detecting bias
Provenance
Getting it onto paper
Critical evaluation
End task – write to inform and explain
Setting the ground rules
for the writing
Independent research
Fact and opinion
Different texts make for different versions of reality
Interim presentations
Useful acronym's KWL
and QuADS frameworks
Detecting bias
Provenance
Getting it onto paper
Critical evaluation
Research
Key Stage 4: Research
Provenance – "it would say that, wouldn't it?"
A key area of critical reading in research is the whole thorny question of provenance and authority. In other words, how reliable is my source? The internet is in many senses a very level playing field and this quality makes it difficult to judge which sources of information are trustworthy and which are not. So critical judgement becomes an important life –as well as literacy – skill. Students can be offered some 'tests' which will help them.
Questions of provenance and authority
- Is the information source the work of an individual or an organisation?
- If it is an individual, are they famous or in a position of authority?
- If it is an organisation – then do they have anything to gain by influencing the reader? (e.g. promoting something?)
- Is the information source, publicly funded or a charity? (This might make them more reliable but does not mean they won’t be biased.)
- Can I find evidence from another source (preferably at least TWO) which corroborates or confirms what this source says? (This is sometimes called ‘triangulation’ and is an 'industry-standard' method of achieving quality assurance.)
- How long has this information been posted on the site? (Many sites are set up and then never re-freshed, this can radically affect their reliability. Things change over time.)