Comparative Source Analysis
This project has students collaboratively create a source-credibility rubric and apply it in an individual comparison to demonstrate how credibility varies across contexts.
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Comparative Source Analysis is a collaborative process where students use prior experience with academic, popular, and digital sources to justify their credibility rubric. The project concludes with a reflection on collaboration, rubric design, source selection, and audience awareness, which makes up 50% of the final grade in the First-Year Composition curriculum at Northern Illinois University (NIU).
Comparative Source Analysis Objectives
- Identify and apply criteria for evaluating source credibility.
- Practice collaborative decision-making in rubric development.
- Analyze credibility as part of the research process.
- Compare how different sources establish trustworthiness.
This project is connected to the Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs) through:
Genres & Formats
- Comparative source analysis with reflection.
- Group rubric, individual comparison paper, and written or multimodal reflection.
Rubric
- Comparative Source Analysis
| Criterion | Exceptional | Met | Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|
| Introduction | Your introduction clearly explains the importance of evaluating source credibility. | Your introduction mentions source credibility. | Your introduction does not mention credibility. |
| Rubric | Your paper clearly discusses each criterion and illustrates with examples. | Your paper mentions different criteria used in source evaluation. | The paper does not include the rubric or does so with no explanation. |
| Sources | Sources clearly demonstrate a range of topics and concerns regarding source credibility. | At least 3 sources are used to illustrate source credibility. | The paper has insufficient or inappropriate sources. |
| Process | Discussion clearly and effectively centers on the process by which a given evaluation was made. | Discussion of sources mentions processes as well as conclusions. | Discussion of sources does not include discussion of evaluative processes. |
| Responding to Feedback | You have revised your CSA substantially and/or thoughtfully based on both your peers’ and your instructor’s feedback. | You have revised your CSA based on both your peers’ and your instructor’s feedback. | No revisions to the CSA have been made or only minor changes have been made that do not adequately respond to feedback. |
- A copy of CSA Grading rubric:File:CSA Grading Criteria.pdf
- Reflection Piece
| Grading Criteria: Reflection | Exceptional | Met | Not Met |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reflecting on Your Group | You have clearly explained what methods your group used to successfully work together and have included things you would do differently next time based on your experience. | You explain what methods your group used to successfully work together. | The methods used to work together are not included or are unclear. |
| Reflecting on Your Rubric Choices | You have clearly identified choices in your reflection that you made in your rubric that explain why you designed your criteria as you did. | You have mentioned rubric choices in your reflection related to design choices. | Rubric choices are not mentioned in the reflection. |
| Reflecting on Appealing to Your Audience | You have identified specific things that you have done in your CSA to help your audience understand the process better. | You have mentioned things that you have done in your CSA to help your audience. | Audience reception not mentioned in the reflection. |
| Reflecting on Your Examples and Arrangement | You clearly explain why you chose the examples you did, and clearly explain the specific order in which you discussed them. | You mention the examples you chose and the way you arranged them. | The arrangement of the examples is not mentioned in the reflection. |
| Meeting Requirements | You have met or exceeded all the requirements for the reflection. | You have met all the requirements for the reflection. | One or more of the requirements for the reflection has not been met. |
- A copy of the Comparative Source Analysis Reflection rubric:File:CSA Reflection Grading Criteria.pdf
Assignment Focus
This section outlines a range of tasks an instructor may assign to support students’ development of evaluative research practices throughout the Comparative Source Analysis project.
- Rubric Development
- Students work in small groups to create a rubric that defines criteria and metrics for evaluating source credibility.
- Group Participation and Evaluation
- Students contribute to group discussion and document design; participation is assessed through individual group evaluations.
- Source Selection
- Students select multiple sources that represent a range of credibility, such as highly credible, weak, or mixed sources.
- Comparative Analysis Paper (Individual)
- In the individual paper, the shared rubric is used to compare sources, with emphasis placed on evaluative process and reasoning.
- Reflection Piece
- Students reflect on group collaboration, rubric choices, source selection, and strategies for communicating credibility to an audience.
Weekly Structure
Week 1: Knowledge/Literacy
Overview: Focus on media literacy and knowledge, produces and values knowledge, why knowledge matters.
- Key Sources on Knowledge/Literacy
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Watch: Media Literacy - The Power (and Responsibility) of Information | In this TEDx talk, Lisa Cutter highlights the importance of media literacy and critical thinking to evaluate information and combat misinformation. |
| Watch: Whose knowledge is good knowledge? | In this TEDx talk, Giulia Zampini questions whose knowledge is valued and calls for more inclusive ways of recognizing expertise. |
- Alternative Materials on Knowledge/Literacy
Some videos and texts might be useful for your class depending on your needs.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Watch: Media Literacy | This video explains what media literacy is—how to access, analyze, evaluate, and create media messages while recognizing common misconceptions about it. |
| Watch: How to choose your news | This video explains how to evaluate news sources and distinguish facts from bias or misinformation. |
| Read: The Importance of Media Literacy | The article explains that media literacy helps people critically evaluate media, recognize bias, and make informed decisions. |
| Read: What is Media Literacy? | The article defines media literacy as the ability to critically understand and evaluate media messages and their influence. |
| Watch: Media Literacy Explained | The video is a short, animated explainer about media literacy and why it’s important to think critically about the media we consume. |
| Watch: What Is Media Literacy? | The video explains that media literacy is the ability to analyze and understand media messages critically. |
| Read: Media Literacy (Explained in 3 Minutes) | The video explains that media literacy is the ability to analyze and evaluate media messages and recognize bias critically. |
| Read: Getting Your Facts Straight Up | This article provides students with guidelines regarding the elements they should check when evaluating media. |
| Read: Core Principles in Media Literacy | An infographic that breaks down the core principles of media. |
Week 2: Information Literacy
Overview: Focus on in-class library module, information literacy, research skills and takeaways, revisiting the Research Narrative.
- Key Source on Information Literacy
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Watch: Information literacy | In this TEDx talk, Kevin Arms stresses the importance of information literacy to combat misinformation and evaluate sources critically. |
- Alternative Sources on Information Literacy
Some materials that you can use as an alternative to the main article.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Read: What Is Information Literacy and Why Does It Matter? | The article defines information literacy as the ability to find, evaluate, and use information effectively. |
| Watch: importance of information literacy | The video explains that information literacy is the ability to find and evaluate information to distinguish reliable sources from misinformation. |
| Watch: What is Information Literacy? | The video explains that information literacy is the ability to evaluate and use information responsibly. |
| Watch: Information Literacy!! | The video explains that information literacy is the ability to judge whether information is credible. |
| Watch: Information Literacy Skills | This video explains information literacy as the skill of finding and evaluating information so you can tell what’s trustworthy and what’s not |
| Read: For Students: Information Literacy | The article defines information literacy as the ability to locate, evaluate, and use information effectively and ethically to solve problems and make informed decisions. |
| Watch: Critical Thinking & Media Literacy | An engaging animated video with uses in-depth examples to illustrate the importance of critical thinking and media literacy. |
| Watch: Introduction to Media Literacy | An engaging animated video from Crash Course covering the topic of Media Literacy. |
Week 3: Rubric/Credibility
Overview:Focus on understanding reliable and verifiable sources, evaluating source credibility, drafting and testing a credibility rubric.
- Key Source on Rubric/Credibility
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Read:Reliable sources | This Wikipedia page explains reliable sources guideline, stressing that a source must be credible for the specific claim it supports and that reliability depends on context. |
| Read:Verifiability | This Wikipedia page explains verifiability as the requirement that information be backed by reliable, published sources. |
- Alternative Sources on Rubric/Credibility
Some videos and texts might be useful for your class depending on your needs.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Watch: Evaluating Sources for Credibility | This video explains how to identify credible sources through expertise, bias, peer review, and timeliness. |
| Watch: Reliable and Valid Sources | This video explains how to evaluate reliable sources by focusing on context, authority, and a simple checklist for assessing websites. |
| Watch: How to Validate Knowledge? Verifiability and Confirmability of Knowledge | This video explains how verifiability and confirmability are used to assess the reliability of empirical knowledge claims. |
| Read: Writing Resource: Evaluating Sources | This text provides guidelines for evaluating sources based on credibility, evidence, and relevance to research goals. |
Week 4: Analysis/Revision
Overview: Focus on refining the source-credibility rubric, analyzing sample CSA papers. developing a CSA outline, peer revision, ePortfolio updates.
- Key Resource on Peer Revision
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Read: In-Class Peer Review | This reading introduces in-class peer review by addressing common student concerns and explaining how collaborative feedback supports revision and writing development. |
| Watch: Good Practices for Peer Revision | This short video guides students through effective peer revision by emphasizing feedback that focuses on meaning, not mechanics, using clear “what,” “why,” and “how” comments to support deeper revision. |
- Alternative Material on Peer Revision
Some videos and texts might be useful for your class depending on your needs.
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| Read: Guidelines for Students - Peer Review | A concise collection of peer review tips for instructors, focusing on how to structure peer feedback activities to improve student writing and critical thinking. |
| Read: Giving Feedback for Peer Review | A concise and comprehensive list of effective peer review strategies for students. |