Trace a Claim to Its Evidence

5 questions0m 0s

Learn the skill

Separate the claim from its evidence. Ask who produced the information, how they obtained it and what the evidence actually covers. Follow citations to their origin and compare independent sources. A popular or polished page is not automatically accurate.

Worked example

Three posts repeating the same interview give three copies of a claim, not three independent interviews. Count original evidence sources rather than headlines.

ORIGINAL NOTE: One tray, one week: Changes: 2, 3, 1, 2 cm. REPEATED POSTS: Blog quotes the note: Two posts copy the blog. CHECK THE CLAIM: Every plant? Every week?: Evidence has a narrower scope. — Read the labeled example and the full passage before answering.

The Fictional Seedling Headline

An invented class note records four seedlings in one tray for one week: their heights changed by 2, 3, 1 and 2 cm. A blog quotes that note. Two other posts copy the blog without collecting new data. One headline says: This method makes every plant grow 2 cm each week. The tray is not a comparison experiment, and no other plants or weeks were measured.

Question 1 How many original measurement records are described? Answer

Question 2 How many seedlings were measured? Answer

Question 3 What is the total recorded height change in cm? Answer

Question 4 Does the record show that every measured seedling grew exactly 2 cm? Yes No Only because three posts repeated it

Question 5 Does the record establish the method caused growth for all plants? Yes No Only if the headline is popular