Grade 7 Fall — Research Process, MLA Citation, Source Evaluation, and Multi-Source Synthesis
English · RES G7 eng.g7.f.res.scholarly_popular_sponsored

Distinguish scholarly, popular, and sponsored sources with URL-suffix heuristics and database literacy (CCSS W.7.8)

Classify a source as scholarly (peer-reviewed, expert-to-expert), popular (general audience), or sponsored (commercial/advocacy motive). Apply URL-suffix heuristics (.edu/.gov often scholarly or governmental; .org often nonprofit; .com often commercial; .net no signal) as STARTING POINT only. Recognize database names (JSTOR, Gale, EBSCO, ProQuest) and what they signal about source type.

Mastery threshold
85%
Min instances
8
Typical minutes
40
Spaced intervals (days)
1, 3, 7, 14, 30, 60
Prereqs
Successors
Common misconceptions
  • Trusts URL suffix as definitive (.org is often nonprofit but can be advocacy/sponsored; .edu can be a student personal page).
  • Equates 'scholarly' with 'always best' for every research question — sometimes a journalistic source is more appropriate for current events.

Exercise pool (2)

Diff Stem Type
2 Classify these 8 sources as scholarly, popular, or sponsored. (1) Article in Journal of African History by tenured Ph.D., peer-reviewed.... classify source type
3 For each URL suffix, name what it TYPICALLY signals + give one COUNTEREXAMPLE: .edu / .gov / .org / .com / .net url suffix verification