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The Independent Study and Inquiry
Quick questions on Evaluating sources and evidence explained: H2 Knowledge and Inquiry
6short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is criteria for source reliability?Show answer
Sources are not equal, and reliability is judged across several criteria, as a matter of degree. The main ones are: the relevant expertise of the author; the track record and editorial standards of the publication (peer-reviewed journal versus anonymous post); independence (whether the source has an interest in the conclusion); whether it is primary or secondary; transparency of method and data (can the claim be checked?); recency, where the field moves quickly; and corroboration by independent sources. No single criterion is decisive; a confident assessment triangulates several.
What is assessing the evidence, not just the source?Show answer
Source reliability and evidence quality are distinct and must be assessed separately. A reliable source can present weak evidence (a single anecdote, a tiny sample, a correlation mistaken for causation), and a biased source can present strong evidence. So after judging the source, judge the evidence on its own terms: the size and representativeness of any sample, whether causal claims are supported, whether the data actually bear on the question (relevance), and how strong the inference from evidence to conclusion is. Conflating the two leads either to over-trusting a reliable source's weak evidence or dismissing a suspect source's strong evidence.
What is bias is a reason to scrutinise, not to dismiss?Show answer
A source with an interest in the conclusion warrants extra scrutiny, but bias does not make its claims false. To reject a source's evidence solely because of who produced it is the genetic fallacy. The correct response to bias is to look harder for independent corroboration and to check the method, not to discard the content. Crucially, this principle must be applied even-handedly: it is illegitimate to wave away disagreeing sources as biased while exempting agreeing ones from the same test.
What is q1?Show answer
State four criteria for assessing the reliability of a source. [6 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
Explain why source reliability and evidence quality must be assessed separately. [6 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
Explain confirmation bias and two safeguards against it in an inquiry. [8 marks]
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