Evaluating Informational Texts: Criteria, Evidence and Checking an Online Biography

Criteria, evidence and a judgment (verdict).

Any three: accuracy, sources, completeness, fairness, organization, clarity for the audience, engagement.

Marc Garneau, in October 1984.

It says Challenger; Bondar flew on Discovery (STS-42) in January 1992.

Any one: she was one of Canada's first six astronauts (1983); she was a neurologist; the actual science she did; her later career, including photography.

Readers cannot check the claims or judge the writer's expertise, so even correct facts can't be trusted from that page alone.

Leaving the page to see what other, independent sources say about it and its claims.

Any one: Canadian Space Agency, NASA mission records, The Canadian Encyclopedia, an established news organization.

Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

A doctor who specializes in the brain and nervous system.

Clarity for its audience (4/4).

An error is a false fact (wrong birthplace). A misrepresentation gives a false impression, which may come from an error, an exaggeration or an omission (calling her the first Canadian in space takes credit from Garneau and misstates her real first).

A biography's main purpose is to give a true account of a life; an engaging but inaccurate one spreads misinformation, so it fails its main job.

No. They may have copied each other or the same bad source. Sources must be independent and reliable, and in this case reliable sources show the claim is wrong.

Sample: In space, she ran science experiments to learn how weightlessness affects living things, including the human body.

It may be simplifying or exaggerating to make the story exciting, or copying another unreliable site; the phrase sounds impressive, which is exactly why it should be checked.

Sample: Roberta Bondar was born in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, in 1945. She became a doctor who studies the brain, called a neurologist. In 1983 she was chosen as one of Canada's first six astronauts. In January 1992 she flew on the Space Shuttle Discovery and became the first Canadian woman in space. She spent about eight days doing experiments on how space affects living things, and later became a nature photographer. (Sources: Canadian Space Agency; The Canadian Encyclopedia.)

Most effective depends on purpose and audience. For a research essay: (1) the encyclopedia for accurate, sourced facts; (2) the interview for her own views and insights (a primary source, though it should be checked); (3) the kids' site last, because it is inaccurate and unsourced. For a Grade 2 class, a corrected kids' site might rank first for clarity.

It is accurate but incomplete. Leaving out the controversy is an omission that can misrepresent the person (making them seem simpler or more admirable than the record shows). A strong evaluation would credit its accuracy, criticize the omission, and ask why it was left out (purpose, sponsor, audience).