Unit 1: Reading Academic Sources and Critical Evaluation

Vocabulary practice cards covering fundamental concepts from Unit 1: Reading Academic Sources, including academic literacy, keyword search strategies, source types, source credibility criteria via the C.R.A.A.P. Test, and academic research terminology.

Post-truth era

A contemporary context in which public opinions are more readily shaped and influenced by emotions and individual beliefs rather than objective facts.

Futures Literacy

A capability and initiative promoted by UNESCO since 2012 that advocates "using-the-future" more effectively and efficiently to innovate the present and empower global citizens.

Prognosticate

A verb meaning to predict, foretell, or forecast future events or outcomes.

Reframe

A verb meaning to restructure or alter the conceptual perspective and underlying assumptions through which a situation or topic is viewed.

Pilot (adjective)

Serving as an experimental trial or prototype before undertaking full-scale implementation.

Online literature research

A quick and effective method to collect secondary data from existing published sources on the internet.

Head terms

Core search terms, usually one to three words long, that outline the primary subject framework of a research topic.

Long-tail keywords

Descriptive search queries containing three or more words or full sentences (often formed using 5Ws and 1H question words) designed to narrow and fine-tune search results.

Book

A publication written or authored by one or more individuals focusing on a specific subject or discipline.

Edited book

A compilation of chapters or articles on a common subject contributed by different writers and coordinated by an editor.

Journal article

A scholarly paper written by experts in a research or professional field and published within an academic journal.

C.R.A.A.P. Test

An evaluation framework used to assess the credibility and reliability of information sources across five criteria: Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose.

Currency (C.R.A.A.P. Test)

The criterion assessing how recent, up-to-date, and timely an information source is, as well as where it was located.

Relevance (C.R.A.A.P. Test)

The criterion determining how closely an information source relates to and addresses the specific research topic or question.

Authority (C.R.A.A.P. Test)

The criterion examining the author's credentials, educational background, qualifications, field of expertise, and organizational affiliations.

Accuracy (C.R.A.A.P. Test)

The criterion evaluating whether information is reviewed, supported by evidence, verifiable, and free from typographical, grammatical, or mechanical errors.

Purpose (C.R.A.A.P. Test)

The criterion analyzing the motive behind releasing the information (e.g., to inform, instruct, persuade, promote) and assessing whether the viewpoint is presented objectively or with bias.

Ratio-income approach

A standard method used to assess housing affordability that compares dwelling costs directly to household pretax income, but overlooks variations in ability to pay for non-shelter necessities across income levels.

Residual-income approach

A method of measuring housing affordability based on the absolute amount of household income remaining after housing costs are deducted to satisfy non-shelter basic needs.