Evaluating Diverse Sources

To judge a source, you must first understand its 'distance' from the event. A primary source is an immediate, first-hand account from people who had a direct connection with it. Think of it as 'raw' data: original documents, diaries, or even a raw video of a news event. A secondary source is one step removed. It is an interpretation, analysis, or summary of primary data. For example, your history textbook is a secondary source because it synthesizes many primary documents to tell a story. In the digital world, a raw tweet from someone at a protest is primary, while a news article written the next day summarizing the protest is secondary.

When you encounter a source, you need a systematic way to evaluate it. We use the CRAAP Test to determine if a source is high-quality. Currency asks: Is the information timely? Relevance asks: Does it actually fit your needs? Authority asks: Who wrote this, and are they an expert? Accuracy asks: Is the information supported by evidence? Finally, Purpose asks: Why does this exist? Is it to inform, or is it to sell you something or change your opinion? If a source fails even one of these, its reliability drops significantly.

In the hierarchy of credibility, a peer-reviewed article sits at the top. This is a paper written by experts and then scrutinized by other experts in the same field before it is published. This 'gatekeeping' ensures that the math, logic, and evidence are sound. Contrast this with a social media post. On social media, the goal is often engagement (likes and shares) rather than accuracy. A post can go viral because it is shocking, even if it is $100\%$ false. While social media is great for real-time primary updates, it lacks the rigorous vetting process that makes peer-reviewed work the gold standard for facts.