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 teaches the CRAAP test (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose) and SIFT framework interactively: students enter a source URL or paste a citation, and the tool generates a structured credibility analysis with specific questions for each evaluation dimension. Teachers who use the tool report that students stop citing Wikipedia as a primary source and start distinguishing between peer-reviewed research and opinion content.
How High School Students Use the Source Evaluator
Real classroom scenarios showing how structured source evaluation improves research quality for 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: students enter each source URL, and the tool generates a CRAAP analysis with specific questions about the author credentials, publication date, and potential bias. After the modeling session, 80 percent of students revise at least one source in 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. The tool identifies which sources are strongest for evidence versus which are strongest for perspective, helping students make strategic decisions about how to use each source in their synthesis. Students who complete the source evaluation before writing produce essays that more effectively distinguish between different types of source authority.
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, flagging sources with explicit advocacy missions and explaining 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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