Research & Source Evaluation
Summarise and organise material from reading and research — gathering relevant information from multiple sources, assessing credibility, integrating evidence without plagiarising, and supporting ideas with factual detail
What a learner can do afterwards
- Take notes from multiple sources on a topic and organise them under logical headings
- Paraphrase information from a source accurately without copying word-for-word
- Assess whether a source is credible and relevant before including it in research writing
The lesson
You already know how to take notes and turn them into a short summary. Now you're gathering from several sources at once. That means grouping notes under clear headings, putting each idea in your own words, and checking whether each source deserves your trust before you use it.
Zara is researching ocean plastic pollution. She reads three articles and sorts her notes under three headings: Causes, Effects on wildlife, and Possible solutions. Every fact she writes down goes under the heading it belongs to, even if it came from a different article than the fact above it.
Paraphrasing means rewriting an idea in new words and a new sentence structure, not just swapping a few words for synonyms. If someone could match your sentence back to the original word for word, it's still too close.
Original: 'Coral reefs support twenty-five percent of all marine species.' A true paraphrase: 'A quarter of the ocean's species rely on coral reefs for survival.' A weak attempt: 'Coral reefs help twenty-five percent of all sea species.' That weak version just swaps in synonyms and keeps the same structure, so it's still too close to the original.
Before you use a source, ask three questions. Who wrote this, and do they know the subject? When was it written, and is it still accurate? Is the writer trying to inform you, or trying to sell or persuade you? A source that fails these checks shouldn't shape your writing.
Sort notes under headings, paraphrase in your own words, and check who wrote a source before you trust it.
Watch it
Where it sits
Where this leads
Jobs that lean on this skill. Follow one to see everything it is built on.
8 questions wait behind this lesson, each with its answer explained. Every answer feeds the sky: stars light as they are learned, and dim when it is time to come back.