Today you will

• learn the four RAVA checks: Reliability, Accuracy, Validity and Authority
• test your gut feeling about four sources
• grade two of your own investigation sources

Kit check

Open {{code:Project_Portfolio}}, then {{code:09_specialism/sm4}}. Check you can see {{code:sm4_search_log}} and {{code:sm4_references}}. If either one is missing, tell your teacher now.

RAVA is four separate checks. A source can pass one and fail another.

• Reliability means the source is careful every time.
• Accuracy means the facts match other evidence.
• Validity means the evidence backs up the claim.
• Authority means the writer is an expert on this.

Example

A named writer blogs about event insurance and links to a matching brokers' guide.

As a class, you will build a RAVA checklist you can use on any source.

Before you leave this step

1. In {{code:Project_Portfolio}}, open {{code:09_specialism/sm4}}.
2. Click {{btn:New}} and make a new document called {{code:sm4_source_grading}}.
3. At the top of it, copy three agreed checks under each of the four RAVA headings.

Common issues

• If you are grading the website instead of the claim, cover the logo with your hand and check the claim itself.
• If all four grades are the same, find the weakest check and write why it is lower.
• If Reliability and Authority have the same reason, remember that Reliability is about being careful over time. Authority is about the writer's expertise.