Recognizing Sources

A Few Definitions of a Source

• A source is a piece of evidence or information
• A source often “documented information” that supports argument, claim, research question, or thesis for a research paper or project
• A source can be interchangeable or synonymous with evidence
• A source must be useful, relevant, credible, accurate, timely/current, reliable in order to add strength and credibility to your claim
• A source is the "information itself" that tells you something helpful

Characteristics of a Source

• Informative and useful
• Not filler text to meet source requirements
• Have evidentiary purpose in context