What are the best reasoning skills for evaluating sources?

Evaluating sources is a crucial skill for anyone who wants to build trust and credibility in their relationships, whether personal or professional. Sources can provide information, evidence, opinions, or perspectives that can help you understand a topic, make a decision, or communicate your point of view. However, not all sources are reliable, accurate, or relevant, and some may even be biased, misleading, or deceptive. How can you tell the difference? Here are some of the best reasoning skills for evaluating sources.

1 Purpose and context

The first skill you need is to identify the purpose and context of the source. Why was it created? Who is the intended audience? What is the tone and style? How does it relate to your topic or question? These questions can help you determine if the source is appropriate for your needs, and if it has any hidden agendas, assumptions, or values that may influence its content or presentation.

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Michael Clements

Chief of Party. Team Leader. Fund Manager. Project Director. Africa economic development and social impact specialist. I work for people who deserve better lives. Willing to work in danger zones.
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I generally agree with this statement, but in a slightly different sequence. I think the first skill is to be crystal clear on WHY any particular source is appropriate for the purpose and context you are addressing. Be ruthless in your selection of sources. And hone your art of triangulation. Don't be misled by the 'brand' reputation of any source.

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2 Authority and credibility

The second skill you need is to assess the authority and credibility of the source. Who is the author or creator? What are their credentials, qualifications, or expertise? How do they support their claims or arguments? Do they cite other sources or provide references? These questions can help you verify if the source is trustworthy, knowledgeable, and transparent, and if it has any conflicts of interest, errors, or gaps that may affect its validity or quality.

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Michael Clements

Chief of Party. Team Leader. Fund Manager. Project Director. Africa economic development and social impact specialist. I work for people who deserve better lives. Willing to work in danger zones.
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Yes. This is an essential next step. But to authenticate these questions, don't ask the source themselves. Verify widely. Double check often. Trust your own judgment.

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3 Currency and coverage

The third skill you need is to evaluate the currency and coverage of the source. When was it published or updated? How recent or relevant is the information? How comprehensive or detailed is the content? Does it address different aspects or perspectives of the topic? These questions can help you check if the source is up-to-date, accurate, and complete, and if it has any outdated, inaccurate, or incomplete information that may limit its usefulness or reliability.

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Michael Clements

Chief of Party. Team Leader. Fund Manager. Project Director. Africa economic development and social impact specialist. I work for people who deserve better lives. Willing to work in danger zones.
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I generally agree with the currency thing. But would add that history does have an inconvenient but irrefutable way of repeating itself. So don't be afraid of looking backwards to understand the present and predict the future.

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4 Bias and perspective

The fourth skill you need is to analyze the bias and perspective of the source. What is the point of view or position of the author or creator? How do they express their opinions or emotions? How do they use language, images, or data to persuade or influence the audience? Do they acknowledge or address opposing views or counterarguments? These questions can help you recognize if the source is objective, balanced, and fair, and if it has any personal, political, or ideological biases that may distort or manipulate the information.

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Jonathan Miller

Scholar, Writer, Researcher
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Learning to identify biases present in a work is a critical skill set. The best propaganda is made out of a collection of entirely true facts, but assembled in such a manner as to misrepresent contextual meaning and consequences.

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Michael Clements

Chief of Party. Team Leader. Fund Manager. Project Director. Africa economic development and social impact specialist. I work for people who deserve better lives. Willing to work in danger zones.
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I agree with Jonathan. Particularly in this tik-tok age. Again, don't be afraid to reach your own conclusions, make your one judgements, defend your own positions. But don't descend into the cesspool of bias and misrepresentation.

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5 Logic and evidence

The fifth skill you need is to examine the logic and evidence of the source. How does the author or creator structure their reasoning or argument? How do they use facts, examples, statistics, or anecdotes to support their claims or conclusions? How do they explain or justify their assumptions or inferences? Do they use any fallacies, flaws, or weaknesses in their logic or evidence? These questions can help you judge if the source is coherent, consistent, and convincing, and if it has any logical or factual errors that may undermine its soundness or credibility.

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Michael Clements

Chief of Party. Team Leader. Fund Manager. Project Director. Africa economic development and social impact specialist. I work for people who deserve better lives. Willing to work in danger zones.
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This is good advice. Stay serious. And don't do the CNN or BBC thing of making outlandish and sweeping and deliberately exaggerated and provocative statements, and then finding just ONE contrived example to fit your argument. You can't fool all the people all of the time.

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6 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?

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Shannon Golden-Schubert, JD, CFRM

🌟 Major Gifts: Enthusiastic About Mission-based Fundraising💡 Relationship Architect, Strategic Planner, Motivator 👍 Advancement, Corporate Partnerships, Donor Relations, Philanthropy 🌟
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- Emphasize the importance of considering your own biases and perspective when evaluating sources. We all have inherent biases, so being aware of your own can help you assess sources more objectively. - Note that evaluating sources takes practice. The more you do it, the better you will get at spotting signs of credibility, accuracy, bias, etc. View it as an ongoing learning process. - Discuss how important corroboration is. The strongest evaluations look at multiple sources to confirm and cross-check information. An analysis based on a single source is limited.

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What are the best reasoning skills for evaluating sources?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Purpose and context

2 Authority and credibility

3 Currency and coverage

4 Bias and perspective

5 Logic and evidence

6 Here’s what else to consider

Relationship Building

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What are the best reasoning skills for evaluating sources?

1

2

3

4

5

6

1 Purpose and context

2 Authority and credibility

3 Currency and coverage

4 Bias and perspective

5 Logic and evidence

6 Here’s what else to consider

Relationship Building

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