SOURCE-EVALUATION WORKSHEET
The Learning Web | https://thelearningweb.net/guides/evaluate-online-sources/

BLANK WORKSHEET
Question / intended use:
Exact claim:
Page title / author / organisation:
URL / publication or update date / access date:
Original evidence URL and exact location:
What was measured, who was included, comparison, time period:
Relevant expertise / funding / purpose:
Independent context and whether sources share an origin:
What this source supports:
What it does not support:
Unresolved checks:
Decision (use / narrow / find stronger evidence / omit) and reason:

COMPLETED FICTIONAL EXERCISE
All organisations and results below are fictional.
Question: Does a digital flashcard app improve long-term retention?
Claim: RecallSpring improves memory by 40%.
Chain: Study Window, Blog B and Blog C all repeat the company press release, which cites one company-funded pilot.
Evidence: 30 volunteers used the app for one session. Confidence was reported by 10 before and 14 afterwards. No control group, knowledge test or delayed assessment.
Calculation: (14-10)/10 = 0.40 = 40% relative increase in confidence reports. Shares: 10/30 = 33.3%, 14/30 = 46.7%; change about 13.3 percentage points.
Independence: Three blogs are not three independent studies.
Supports: A description of the company's reported immediate confidence survey.
Does not support: A measured memory improvement or causal long-term benefit.
Decision: Do not cite as evidence that the app improves long-term retention. Seek a relevant comparison with a delayed retention measure. Lack of support here is not proof that the app cannot help anyone.