Evaluating Evidence, Sources, and Perspectives: every key term you need (+ practice quiz)
37 flashcard terms for AP Seminar Unit 2, written to match the course framework. Study them here, then drill them as interactive flashcards, or test yourself with the 20-question quiz — free, no account needed.
The degree to which a source can be trusted, judged by the author's expertise, the publication's reputation, the evidence offered, and freedom from conflicts of interest.
RAVEN
Reputation, Ability to see, Vested interest, Expertise, Neutrality: a checklist for judging whether a source or witness is credible.
Relevance
How directly a source addresses the research question. A credible source can still be irrelevant if it answers a different question.
Currency
How recent a source is. Currency matters more in fast-moving fields (technology, medicine) than in history or philosophy.
Primary source
An original, first-hand artifact or record: data sets, interviews, speeches, lab results, letters, photographs.
Secondary source
A work that interprets or analyzes primary sources, such as a journal article, review, or textbook.
Tertiary source
A compilation or summary of secondary sources (encyclopedias, handbooks); useful for background but rarely cited in the argument.
Scholarly source
Written by experts for experts, peer reviewed, heavily cited, and published in academic journals or university presses.
Popular source
Written for a general audience (magazines, newspapers, blogs); can be credible but usually lacks methodology and citations.
Trade publication
A magazine or journal for practitioners in an industry; expert but often promotional and not peer reviewed.
Vested interest
A stake in the outcome that may bias a source, such as an industry-funded study or a politician's campaign statement.
Author's purpose
Why a text was written: to inform, persuade, entertain, sell, or advocate. Purpose shapes what evidence is included and omitted.
Intended audience
The readers a source targets; identifying audience explains tone, level of detail, and rhetorical choices.
Bias vs. perspective
Every source has a perspective; bias is when perspective distorts evidence or omits inconvenient facts. Identify both, dismiss neither automatically.
Qualitative evidence
Non-numerical evidence such as interviews, case studies, observations, and testimony; rich in detail but harder to generalize.
Quantitative evidence
Numerical evidence such as statistics, survey results, and experimental data; allows comparison and generalization if methods are sound.
Anecdotal evidence
A single story or personal example. Vivid and persuasive but weak as proof of a general claim.
Empirical evidence
Evidence gathered through observation or experiment rather than theory or opinion.