Source Evaluator for High School
High school students are producing research papers with sources they found in 30 seconds on Google, without any framework for evaluating whether those sources are credible, current, or appropriate for academic work. The AI Source Evaluator draws on the CRAAP test (Currency, Authority, Accuracy) and the SIFT framework: enter a source title or link, and the tool makes a worksheet with questions for each evaluation dimension. With practice, students can stop citing Wikipedia as a primary source and start distinguishing between peer-reviewed research and opinion content.
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How high school teachers use the source evaluator
Classroom scenarios for using structured source evaluation with high school students.
Research paper: evaluating a mix of web sources before the annotated bibliography
A 10th-grade English teacher requires students to submit a source evaluation checklist alongside their annotated bibliography. Students do not know how to evaluate sources beyond whether the website looks official. The teacher uses the source evaluator to model the process: she enters each source, and the tool generates a SIFT analysis with notes on authority, currency, and potential bias. After the modeling session, students can revise their bibliography, replacing a low-quality web source with a more authoritative one.
AP Language: evaluating synthesis essay sources for credibility
An AP Language teacher uses the source evaluator as a synthesis essay preparation activity. Students evaluate each of the provided sources before writing, generating a credibility profile for each one. Comparing the results for each source helps students see which sources are strongest for evidence versus which are strongest for perspective, helping them make strategic decisions about how to use each source in their synthesis. Completing the source evaluation before writing helps students distinguish between different types of source authority in their essays.
Junior research project: building a source quality filter before the outline
An 11th-grade history teacher requires students to evaluate all sources before submitting their research outline. Students frequently use sources they found on partisan websites without recognizing the bias. The source evaluator generates a purpose and bias analysis for each source and, where what the source says shows an advocacy mission, explains what that means for how the source can be used. Students learn to use biased sources as primary sources documenting a perspective rather than as neutral evidence.
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What this page does here
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Questions teachers ask
What source evaluation frameworks does the tool use for high school?
The worksheet uses the SIFT framework (Stop, Investigate the source, Find better coverage, Trace claims) and checks from the CRAAP test: currency, authority, and accuracy. Both frameworks are commonly taught in high school information literacy courses and align with Common Core research standards.
Can the source evaluator analyze social media posts and online videos?
Yes. The tool evaluates sources across formats: web articles, academic papers, news reports, government documents, social media posts, and online videos. For social media and video, the evaluation focuses on the creator credentials, the evidence for claims made, and the potential motivations behind the content.
Does the source evaluator work with sources students find for any subject?
Yes. The tool evaluates sources for English, history, science, social studies, and any other subject where research is assigned. Teachers can choose the subject, and it appears on the worksheet; adjust the emphasis yourself to what matters most in that discipline, peer review in science, historical significance in history, editorial standards in journalism.
Can the source evaluator be used as a graded assignment?
Yes. Teachers can print the worksheet for students to fill in and submit alongside their research. The filled-in worksheet shows the questions answered for each dimension and the student's conclusion about source usability. This becomes a graded pre-writing component of the research assignment.
Does the source evaluator teach students why some sources are better than others?
Yes. The worksheet does not flag sources as good or bad; teachers can use its prompts to discuss the reasoning behind each evaluation dimension: why currency matters differently in science versus history, why an anonymous author is a problem, why .org domains are not automatically trustworthy. Students build evaluation judgment, not just checklist habits.
How does this integrate with OpenEduCat for high school research assignments?
It does not integrate. This free tool connects to no course system and collects nothing. Make the source check here, copy or download it, and require it as a step in your usual assignment process.
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