Reliability and Bias in Historical Sources

What is the definition of reliability?

• a strong opinion that is based more on emotion than in evidence

• something that prevents a source from being reliable for a specific purpose

• the intended audience of a source

• the usefulness of information in a source for a given purpose

What does bias mean?

• a strong opinion that is based more on emotion than in evidence

• the usefulness of information in a source for a given purpose

• the intended audience of a source

• something that prevents a source from being reliable for a specific purpose

What is a limitation?

• a strong opinion that is based more on emotion than in evidence

• the usefulness of information in a source for a given purpose

• something that prevents a source from being reliable for a specific purpose

• the intended audience of a source

Which question helps determine if a source is reliable?

• How many pages does the source have?

• What is the author's name?

• Is it related to my purpose? If so, how is it useful for my purpose?

• What is the publication date?

What factors are related to the limitations of a source?

• The author's purpose, point of view, intended audience, and bias

• The length of the source

• The number of references

• The publication year

TRUE or FALSE: A source that has no author or date listed is reliable.

• TRUE

• FALSE

What is bias?

• A. Treating everyone and everything equally.

• B. Liking one thing more than another in an unfair way.

• C. Being fair and open-minded about everything.

• D. A decision based on a lot of research and facts.

You are investigating the benefits of a new public park in your city. You find an article in a local newspaper written by a journalist who lives near the park.

What potential bias should you be aware of in this source?

• A. The journalist might have a strong opinion because they live nearby and use the park.

• B. The article is from a newspaper, so it is always biased.

• C. Journalists can’t have opinions on local issues.

• D. There is no bias because it’s a news article.

You are preparing a presentation on the health benefits of drinking water. You find an advertisement from a bottled water company claiming their water is the healthiest.

What limitation does this source have related to your purpose?

• A. The advertisement might be biased because the company wants to sell their product.

• B. Advertisements are always the best source of information.

• C. The company’s claim is automatically reliable because it’s in an ad.

• D. Advertisements never have useful information.

Question 6: You are doing a science project on different types of animals. You find a YouTube video made by a popular wildlife expert.

Is this source reliable for your purpose?

• A. Yes, because the wildlife expert is knowledgeable about animals.

• B. No, because videos are not reliable sources.

• C. Maybe, but you should check if the expert is credible and if the information is accurate.

• D. No, because YouTube is not a good source for school projects.