Heads up: this browser isn't saving anything for this site, so progress and settings reset when you leave the page. Everything still works while you're here.
Some of ResearchQuest’s cast are still learning. When you teach them, YOU learn it best — catch what they get wrong, then quiz them.
Teach Vet
You be the teacher — Vet is still learning. Helping Vet figure it out is the practice. (Vet's progress stays on this device; nothing is sent anywhere.)
🎓 In a minute you'll be the teacher. Get ready to teach Vet: a source’s reliability isn’t about how polished or professional the website LOOKS.
A polished design is easy to fake. Judge a source by who is behind it, whether they're in a position to know, and whether others confirm it.
You've helped them one at a time. The real understanding is how the ideas CONNECT — teach that next.
Vet (source-evaluation — CRAAP: judge the source itself) ×Crosscut (lateral reading — cross-check a claim across independent sources)
A slick website passes every CRAAP box. Why does Crosscut still matter?
Vet then says: “This site looks authoritative and accurate (Vet passes), so I can cite it without checking elsewhere.” — is that right?
The link: read the page (Vet) AND read across pages (Crosscut) — two directions of trust.
Judge the source, then check it against the others.
Synth (synthesis — combine evidence across sources (agreement, disagreement, gaps)) ×Verdict (forming a thesis — gather the evidence, then take a stand)
You've mapped where five sources agree and disagree. What does Verdict add that Synth doesn't?
Synth then says: “I'll skip comparing my sources and just state my opinion as the thesis.” — is that right?
The link: synthesise the evidence, THEN take your stand — the thesis is the conclusion of the synthesis.
Combine what they say, then say what you think.
Capstone — run one research project together
Three moves of a real project. Bring in the cast member for each.
Turn a vague interest into a focused, answerable question. Who?
Who do you bring in?
Decide if a site is trustworthy by cross-checking it against independent sources. Who?
Who do you bring in?
After gathering evidence, take a stand and state your thesis. Who?
Who do you bring in?
The synthesis: ask a sharp question, trust sources by cross-checking, then take a stand — research is a claim you earned.
Question, corroborate, conclude — research that holds up.
