Module One – What Counts as a Source?

In an age where anyone can upload a video, publish a blog post, or go viral with a claim, it’s easy to confuse confidence for credibility. But not all “sources” are created equal — and knowing the difference is the first step toward doing real, meaningful research.

A source is any material that provides evidence for a claim. But whether that evidence is strong, weak, or even misleading depends on how it was gathered, who produced it, and whether it can be verified.

Here’s the short version:

• A scientific study published in a peer-reviewed journal? ✔️ Strong source.

• A screenshot of a tweet citing “a recent study”? ❌ Not a source.

• A YouTuber with a long rant and no citations? ❌ Not a source.

• A .gov or .edu page explaining research? ✔️ Reliable secondary source.

Real sources leave a trail. You should be able to follow a claim back to its origin — ideally to the full study, the full quote, or the full dataset. If you can’t, that’s your first red flag.

You don’t need a PhD to think critically — but you do need to ask the right question:
“Where did this come from?”