Corroborating Sources
Verify information by comparing multiple sources.
Learn
Why Corroborate?
- Corroboration: Checking if multiple sources agree on the facts
- Independent sources: Sources that don't rely on each other
- Convergence: When different sources reach similar conclusions
- Discrepancies: Differences between sources that require investigation
- Triangulation: Using at least three sources to verify information
Practice
Question 1: What does it mean to corroborate a source?
Answer
To verify information by checking if other independent sources report the same facts.
Question 2: Why is it important to use multiple sources when researching?
Answer
Multiple sources help verify accuracy, reveal bias, and provide a more complete picture of events.
Question 3: Two newspaper articles from 1920 report the same event differently. What should you do?
Answer
Find additional sources to determine which account is more accurate, and consider possible biases in each paper.
Question 4: What makes sources "independent" of each other?
Answer
Independent sources gathered their information separately and didn't copy from each other.
Question 5: A website cites another website that cites the original. Are these independent sources?
Answer
No, they are not independent - they all trace back to the same original source.
Question 6: What is "triangulation" in source analysis?
Answer
Using at least three independent sources to verify information, increasing confidence in accuracy.
Question 7: Three sources agree on a fact, but a fourth disagrees. What should you consider?
Answer
Evaluate the credibility of each source, consider when they were written, and investigate why one disagrees.
Question 8: Why might two eyewitnesses report the same event differently?
Answer
Different vantage points, memory limitations, personal biases, or focus on different details.
Question 9: A textbook and a primary source document disagree. Which is more reliable?
Answer
It depends on context. Primary sources are firsthand but may have bias. Textbooks synthesize multiple sources but may oversimplify. Further investigation is needed.
Question 10: How does corroboration help identify misinformation?
Answer
False claims often cannot be verified by multiple independent, credible sources. Checking multiple sources reveals inconsistencies.