Checklist for Making Comparisons
of Sources
Source A: New
Zealand Red Apples
Source B: China Fujian
Red Apples
Comparing Sources
When doing comparison you
have to look for common
criteria. This means you
have to identify something
that the sources have in
common before you state the
similarities and differences in
the sources.
The BASICS
Steps to
Making
Comparisions
Step 1: What
does Source
A say?
Step 2: What
can you infer
from Source
A?
Step 3: What
does Source
B say?
Step 4: What
can you infer
from Source
B?
Step 5: What
is the
common
criteria?
Step 6: Is this
a similarity or
a difference?
Step 1: What does Source A say?
Step 2: What can I infer from Source
A?
Step 3: What does Source B
say?
Step 4: What can I infer from Source
B?
Step 5: What is the Common
Criteria?
Step 6: Is this a Similarity or Difference?
Getting the TOP MARKS
Looking for
the
Provenance
Step 1: What
is the
purpose of
the Source?
Step 2: Who
is the
targeted
audience?
Step 3: Who
is the
Originator?
Step 4:Is the
Source
Contentious?
3 Steps
for
Content
Step 1: What
are your
comparing?
Step 2: What
exactly from
the source are
you
comparing?
Step 3: What
exactly are you
comparing
against?
TONE
Step 1: Do the
sources being
compared
have opposite
tones?
Step 2: Is one
source more
objective than
another?
Step 3: Is one
source?
Making
Comparisions
1: Identify the
Criteria
(categories) you
want to compare
2: Explain how
some criteria are
similar as well as
different
3: Question its
Content
4: Pick out
evidence from
each of the
sources to
support the
criteria
Identify criteria
How similar are they?
How different are they?

Checklist for comparing sources