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Sprint 5.3: Accurate, Reliable, Valid

Distinguish between nuances of evidence quality, such as accuracy, precision, reliability, and validity.

7 micro-lessons

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Trustworthy Information

Introduction to words describing the quality of data and evidence.

When you read a news article or look at an experiment's results, how do you know you can trust it? We often use simple words like "correct," "trusted," or "fair." But in academic writing and science, we need a sharper toolkit.

Let's break down the precise vocabulary used to evaluate the quality of evidence.

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Target Board Gallery

Visual analogy for accuracy vs. precision.

A clean educational diagram showing a grid of four archery target boards. Top left shows high accuracy and high precision with all arrows tightly in the bullseye. Top right shows low accuracy but high precision with all arrows clustered tightly together far off to the side. Bottom left shows high accuracy but low precision with arrows spread out but generally centered around the bullseye. Bottom right shows low accuracy and low precision with arrows scattered randomly far from the center.

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Accuracy is hitting the bullseye. Precision is hitting the exact same spot repeatedly.

Quality of Evidence Card

Comparison card for evidence quality terms.

Reliable

Consistent Results

Example: A bathroom scale that says you weigh 60kg three times in a row.

Valid

Measures the Right Thing

Example: A driving test that actually requires you to drive a car, not just read about it.

Objective

Fact-Based & Neutral

Example: A referee making calls strictly based on the rulebook.

Biased

Unfairly Skewed

Example: Asking only hardcore gamers if video games are too expensive.

What Is Wrong With the Data?

Identify the specific quality issue in given scenarios.

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A teacher wants to measure how well students understand Physics, but accidentally writes the test questions using extremely complicated vocabulary that students haven't learned yet. Many students fail because they don't understand the words. What does this test lack?

Evidence Quality Sorter

Sort scenarios by their specific quality attribute.

NoteMatch the real-world scenario to the academic vocabulary word that best describes it.

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Terms

Definitions

Explain Why Evidence Is Reliable

AI-evaluated explanation of evidence reliability.

Imagine you have a thermometer that is slightly broken. Every time you measure boiling water (which should be 100°C), the thermometer reads exactly 102°C. Explain the difference between reliable and accurate using this thermometer as an example.

Why is this thermometer considered reliable?*

Focus on what happens when you use it multiple times.

Why is this thermometer NOT considered accurate?*

Explain how the reading compares to reality.

Accurate vs Reliable

Nuance distinction between accurate and reliable.

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