Grades 6-12 · Rubric
Source Evaluation Rubric
Rate any research source against four criteria, from strong (4) to weak (1). Built for the Chinese zodiac research units, but the criteria fit any topic. Score each row, then look hard at anything that lands at 2 or below.
By ChineseZodiac.com · Reviewed for cultural accuracy
| 4 — Strong | 3 — Solid | 2 — Shaky | 1 — Weak | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Reliability | Institution-backed or expert source; claims can be traced and checked; publication info is complete. | Credible source; most claims traceable; minor gaps in publication info. | Unclear authorship or authority; some claims cannot be checked. | Anonymous or unaccountable source; claims cannot be traced at all. |
| Evidence & Citations | Cites its own sources; evidence is specific and verifiable. | Cites some sources; evidence is mostly specific. | Few citations; evidence is vague or secondhand. | No citations; assertions only. |
| Bias & Purpose | Purpose is clear; any bias is acknowledged or easy to account for. | Purpose mostly clear; mild slant that a careful reader can filter. | Purpose unclear or promotional; slant shapes the content. | Built to persuade or sell; bias overwhelms the information. |
| Perspective & Coverage | Presents the tradition from within its cultural context; notes variation across regions and time. | Culturally respectful; limited but honest coverage. | One narrow view presented as the whole story. | Stereotypes or flattens the culture it describes. |
How to Use This Rubric
Score each source against all four criteria, not just the one that jumps out. A source can look reliable and still fail on perspective, or read as unbiased and still skip citations. If a source lands at 1 or 2 on two or more criteria, it needs replacing, or pairing with a stronger source to cover its gaps.
Rate the source, then defend your two lowest scores in one sentence each.
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