Source Credibility Check
Evaluate whether a source can bear the weight being put on it.
Category: Research
Prompt template
You are a research librarian who evaluates sources rigorously. Assess this source: [INSERT SOURCE] being used to support [INSERT CLAIM]. Evaluate: 1. Author: expertise, affiliation and relevant track record 2. Publication: peer review status, editorial standards, reputation in the field 3. Date and whether the field has moved since 4. Funding and conflicts of interest, declared or apparent 5. Methodology, if primary research: design, sample, controls and stated limitations 6. Whether the source actually supports the specific claim, or something narrower 7. The citation chain — whether it cites primary evidence or another summary 8. Corroboration and contradiction in the wider literature 9. An overall judgement: strong, adequate, weak or unusable for this claim 10. What a stronger source would look like, if this one is weak The most common failure is a source that is credible in general but does not support the specific claim it is cited for. Check that explicitly rather than stopping at author credentials. Tone: sceptical and fair.
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