Critical Thinking
You find an article that perfectly supports your argument, but it is 12 years old. What should you do first?
Check whether the topic requires current research and look for more recent studies that confirm, revise, or challenge it.
What is one advantage of using peer-reviewed sources instead of general websites?
They are evaluated by experts for accuracy and quality.
Your research question is very broad and produces thousands of results. What is the most effective next step?
Refine the research question by narrowing the scope (time, geography, population, theory, or variable).
Is changing a few words in a sentence without citation plagiarism?
Yes—this is patchwriting and still constitutes plagiarism.
It is 24 hours before the deadline. You find a source that strongly supports your argument, but you have only read the abstract and conclusion.
Read the full article to evaluate its methodology, relevance, and limitations before deciding whether it can responsibly support your argument.
Why is it problematic to build an entire paper around a single source, even if it is peer-reviewed?
Because it limits perspective, weakens argumentation, and fails to engage with the broader scholarly conversation.
What is the difference between searching for information and evaluating information?
Searching means locating data; evaluating means judging its reliability and quality.
You found only one relevant source for your topic. How can you expand your search to locate more sources?
Check the subject keywords and refine your search, the list of references used in this article, and the citation count, i.e. the sources that used it in their bibliography.
When is citation required?
When using someone else’s ideas, data, words, structure, or interpretation—even if paraphrased.
You find a perfect quote cited in a secondary source and copy the citation without consulting the original work.
This is plagiarism. You need to reference that source with an indirect citation, presenting both sources in your text, and only include the work you found in the bibliography.
Two academic articles reach opposite conclusions about the same topic. What is the most critical thing you should do next?
Analyze their evidence, methods, and assumptions instead of choosing the one you like.
How can you tell if an online source is reliable?
Check the author, publication date, purpose, and whether it’s cited by trusted sources.
An AI tool suggests an article that seems unrelated. What should you do?
Evaluate the abstract and keywords manually rather than trusting the recommendation blindly.
What is self-plagiarism?
Reusing one’s own previously submitted work without acknowledgment or permission.
An AI tool summarizes five articles for you, and due to time pressure, you rely on these summaries instead of reading the full texts.
Use AI summaries only as an initial orientation tool and read the full articles to critically assess their arguments and evidence.
What is “confirmation bias”?
The tendency to believe only information that supports our existing opinions.
Why might a review article be especially useful early in the research process?
It synthesizes existing research, identifies key scholars, and highlights major debates and gaps.
Why is AI best used as a research assistant rather than a researcher?
Because critical judgment, interpretation, and academic responsibility remain human responsibilities.
Why is incorrect citation still considered an academic integrity issue?
Because it misleads readers and fails to give proper credit, even if unintentional.
You spend most of your time writing the paper and leave searching, evaluating, and citing sources for the final two days.
Plan research as an iterative process by starting source searching and evaluation early and integrating them throughout the writing timeline.
What does it mean to evaluate a source’s argument rather than just its topic?
Examining claims, evidence, logic, and conclusions.
Explain why citation counts alone are an unreliable measure of source quality
Because citations do not reflect why a work is cited and may reflect popularity, controversy, or critique.
You discover that a key source supporting your argument has been retracted. What should you do?
Remove or revise the argument, acknowledge the issue if already submitted, and locate alternative credible evidence.
How AI-generated text should be cited?
Citation should be included in the text, at the reference list, and the chat thread should be presented as an appendix, when the use of AI is permitted according to the assignment's guidelines.
You find an article that closely matches your topic and decide to use it extensively without evaluating it. Your instructor informs you that this source comes from a predatory journal. What are the results for you and your paper?
Weak or Unverified Evidence, Loss of Academic Credibility, Misleading or False Information, Failure to Meet Assignment Criteria, Poor Research Skills