A snack company's website posts its own study of six teens, concluding that its bar improves focus. What most weakens this source for a report on focus?

A polished page arguing that a city should ban skateboards lists no author, no date, and no sources. What most weakens its credibility?

An article on lake pollution names its author as a state water scientist, gives her degree, and links to the testing data she used. What most strengthens it?

A website states that "recent studies show most students learn better outdoors" but names no study anywhere on the page. What should a researcher do next?

For a report on how teenagers use phones today, a student finds a carefully designed national survey conducted in 1999. Why is it a weak choice here?

A student is researching what factory work felt like in 1900. One source is a worker's 1901 letter; another is a 2020 summary of factory laws. Which fits better?

Two studies test a new reading app. One followed nine students for a week; the other followed nine hundred students for a year. What does this difference mean?

A researcher's article passed peer review before a journal published it. What does that most tell a reader?

A report on a proposed dam comes from a group paid by the construction firm. A second comes from a group opposed to all dams. What should a researcher do?

A student finds a useful fact in an online encyclopedia that anyone can edit. The entry links to a government report as its source. What is the best next step?

Two articles report different numbers for a town's population, and both name the same census as their source. What should a researcher check first?

A well-known heart doctor writes a blog post predicting volcanic eruptions, citing no geologists and no eruption data. What most weakens the post as evidence about volcanoes?

A student trusts a website because its address ends in .org, which he believes proves the site is a neutral nonprofit. Why is that reasoning unreliable?

An article claims a supplement boosts memory and cites four supporting studies, while a footnote admits eleven other studies found no effect. What weakens the article most?

A student's research paper reports several striking statistics but includes no citations anywhere in the text or at the end. Why does this weaken the paper?

A writer restates another author's idea entirely in her own sentences, keeping none of the original wording, and gives no credit. How should this be judged?

For a report on whether a stretching routine prevents injuries, one source gathers twenty online testimonials and another reports a controlled trial. Which is stronger, and why?

A page explaining safe bike helmet standards was last updated eleven years ago, and the standards have been revised twice since then. What does this mean?

Two pages describe a local river cleanup. One names a city engineer and lists public meeting records. The other is unsigned and cites nothing. Which is more credible, and why?

A researcher wants to know whether a widely repeated statistic about teen reading is accurate. Which check gives the strongest answer about its accuracy?