Research a question with multiple print and digital sources, assess the credibility of each source, and list basic bibliographic information

Learning goal: This lesson teaches three parts of Ohio's 2026 standards W.6.7 and W.6.8, first implemented in 2027-28. In a short research project that answers a question, you will use multiple sources on a topic (W.6.7a). As you gather information from multiple print and digital resources, you will assess the credibility of each source (W.6.8a) and list basic bibliographic information for sources to avoid plagiarism (W.6.8c).

The research question. A class is planning a new bed in the school garden and asks: What can our school garden do to help monarch butterflies? Every source in this lesson is invented for practice, but the two facts the trustworthy sources share are true and widely known: monarch caterpillars feed only on milkweed leaves, and adult monarchs drink nectar from many kinds of flowers.

Why use multiple sources on a topic. One source, however good, is not enough for a research project, for four reasons. (1) Checking: when two independent, credible sources agree on a fact, you can rely on it more than on either alone; when they disagree, you know to look further. (2) Completeness: each source answers a different part of the question; a booklet may explain what to plant while a web page explains what to avoid. (3) Different kinds: a print book, an organization's web page and a data set give different kinds of information. (4) Catching errors: a single source can be out of date, mistaken or one-sided, and you will not notice unless you compare it with others. Every source must be on the topic: a page about butterflies in general helps less than one about monarchs and gardens. Using multiple sources does not mean collecting as many as possible. It means enough credible sources to answer the question and to check its key facts, usually three or more for a short project, including at least one print and one digital source.

Assessing the credibility of each source. A credible source is one you have good reason to trust for the information you are using it for. Assess each source separately; never decide that a whole set of results is trustworthy because the first one was. Ask five questions:
- Who wrote or published it, and what do they know about this topic? A named naturalist or a university extension office has relevant knowledge; an anonymous user name tells you nothing.
- When was it published or last updated? A date matters most for information that changes, such as how many monarchs there are this year. It matters less for facts that do not change, such as the stages of a butterfly's life cycle.
- Why was it written: to inform, to persuade, to entertain or to sell? A page that sells seed mix has a reason to promise results.
- What evidence does it give? A credible source explains where its information comes from, and its facts can be checked.
- Does it agree with other credible sources? A claim that only one weak source makes, and that credible sources contradict, should not be used.

Record your judgment for each source in a word or two (strong, limited, weak) with the reason. A source can be credible for one claim and weak for another, so judge it for the claim you need.

Listing basic bibliographic information. Bibliographic information is the set of details that identifies a source so that a reader can find it: the author (a person, or an organization when no person is named), the title, the publisher or website name, the date of publication or last update, and, for a digital source, the web address (URL) and the date you accessed it. For a print source, add the page numbers you used. Record this information when you take notes, not at the end, because a source you cannot identify later is a source you cannot credit.

Why it prevents plagiarism. Plagiarism is presenting another person's words or ideas as your own. A report avoids it in two linked ways: it credits a source in the sentence where its information is used ("According to the Northfield State University Extension, ...") and it lists every source used in a source list (also called a bibliography or works cited list) at the end. The listed information lets a reader see whose ideas you used and check them. If a detail is missing, say so ("no author listed", "no date") instead of inventing it. This lesson shows one common format; your teacher may ask for another, but every format records the same basic information.

The misconception. Many students think a source is credible because it appears near the top of a search or because it has a professional design. Position in a search and a polished look do not show who wrote the information, why, or whether it is accurate. Only the five questions do.

The five invented sources

Source A (print booklet): Dana Whitfield, a naturalist with the invented Riverbend County Park District, Gardening for Butterflies in the Midwest, published by the park district in 2024. Pages 4-9 explain that monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed leaves and that adult monarchs drink nectar from many flowers, and list flowers that bloom from spring to fall.

Source B (web page): "Milkweed and Monarchs," from the invented Northfield State University Extension, last updated 12 May 2025, at www.example.org/extension/milkweed. It explains that caterpillars eat only milkweed, advises against spraying insecticides on garden plants used by caterpillars, and lists the studies it draws on.

Source C (web page): "Monarch Magic Seed Mix," from the invented Bloomfast Seeds company, no author and no date, at www.example.org/bloomfast/monarch-mix. It promises that its mix is "guaranteed to bring monarchs to any yard in one week" and has a button to buy.

Source D (web page): a blog post signed "ButterflyFan22," no date, saying that monarch caterpillars "will eat any green leaf if they are hungry."

Source E (print book): an article titled "Butterfly" in the invented Young Readers' Encyclopedia of Nature, published in 1998, describing the four life stages: egg, caterpillar (larva), chrysalis and adult.

Worked example 1 — using multiple sources to answer the question. Sources A and B are independent (a park district naturalist and a university extension office) and both say monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed leaves, so the class can rely on that fact. Each also adds something the other lacks: A lists nectar flowers for adults that bloom from spring to fall; B warns against spraying insecticides on plants caterpillars use. Source E adds the life cycle, which helps the class understand why both caterpillar food and adult food matter. Combined answer: The garden should include milkweed for caterpillars, nectar flowers that bloom across the seasons for adults, and no insecticide spraying. No single source gives all three parts, and the most important fact is confirmed by two.

Worked example 2 — assessing the credibility of each source. A: strong. A named naturalist, a public park district, dated 2024, written to inform, and its milkweed fact agrees with B. B: strong. A university extension office, updated 2025, written to inform, and it names the studies it draws on. C: weak for the guarantee. No author or date, written to sell, no evidence for "one week," and no credible source promises that any plant will bring monarchs to every yard. D: weak. An anonymous user name, no date, no evidence, and its claim contradicts both A and B. E: limited. A reference book written to inform young readers, but from 1998; it is credible for the life cycle, a fact that has not changed, and not credible for anything about today, such as current monarch numbers. The class uses A, B and E and keeps C and D only in its notes, with the reasons for rejecting them.

Worked example 3 — listing basic bibliographic information. The source list, in one common format and in alphabetical order by the first word of each entry:

"Butterfly." Young Readers' Encyclopedia of Nature, 1998. (No author is listed, so the entry begins with the article title.)

"Milkweed and Monarchs." Northfield State University Extension, 12 May 2025, www.example.org/extension/milkweed. Accessed 3 Mar. 2027. (A web page: organization, update date, URL and access date.)

Whitfield, Dana. Gardening for Butterflies in the Midwest. Riverbend County Park District, 2024, pp. 4-9. (A print booklet: author, last name first; title; publisher; year; pages used.)

The access date is the day the student opened the page, which is invented here. Nothing missing was made up: the encyclopedia article has no author, so none is given.

Worked example 4 — crediting a source in the report. Note card: Source B: caterpillars eat only milkweed; avoid insecticides on caterpillar plants. Sentence in the report: According to the Northfield State University Extension, monarch caterpillars eat only milkweed, so spraying insecticides on those plants could harm them. The sentence credits the source where the idea is used, the paraphrase is in the student's own words, and the source list tells the reader exactly where to find the page.

Source log (representation task): For a research question your class chooses, find at least four sources on the topic, including at least one print and one digital source. For each source record, as you read: the bibliographic information (author or organization, title, publisher or website, date, URL and access date or pages), the answers to the five credibility questions, your one-word judgment (strong, limited, weak) with a reason, and the part of the question the source helps answer.

Cross-check: Choose the two most important facts in your notes. For each, name every source that states it and say whether they agree. If only one source states a fact, either find a second credible source or label the fact as needing checking.

Independent performance: Write a 300-word research report answering your question. Success criteria: (1) it uses information from at least three credible sources on the topic, including one print and one digital source, and no single source supplies everything; (2) your notes assess the credibility of each source you consulted, including at least one you rejected and why; (3) every borrowed fact or idea is credited in the sentence where it is used; (4) the report ends with a source list giving the basic bibliographic information for every source used, in one consistent format, with nothing invented; (5) quotations are in quotation marks and paraphrases are in your own words. Exchange reports with a partner, who checks one credited sentence against your source list and one fact against two of your sources.