Welcome to Your Source Analysis Toolkit!

Have you ever read a social media post and wondered, "Who wrote this and why?" If so, you are already practicing Source Analysis! In Individuals and Societies, we act like detectives. Instead of just believing everything we read or see, we look for clues about where a piece of information came from and why it was created.

This chapter focuses on Criterion D (Thinking Critically). Specifically, we are looking at how to identify and explain the Origin and Purpose of a source. Mastering this will help you understand if a source is a reliable piece of evidence or a biased point of view.

Part 1: What is the "Origin" of a Source?

The Origin is basically the "Birth Certificate" of a source. It tells us the history of the document before we even start reading the content. When you are asked to identify the origin, you are looking for three main things:

1. Who created it? (The Author)

Was it a famous historian? A government official? An ordinary person writing in a diary? Or perhaps a professional journalist? Knowing who wrote it helps us understand their background and expertise.

2. When was it created? (The Date)

Is the source from the exact time an event happened (a primary source), or was it written many years later by someone researching the event (a secondary source)? Dates are vital for context. For example, a map of a city from \(1920\) will look very different from a map of the same city in \(2024\).

3. Where was it created? (The Location)

Was it published in a newspaper in London? Was it a speech given in a factory? The where often tells us which "side" of a story we might be hearing.

Quick Tip: In your MYP eAssessments, look at the source credit (the little text above or below the image or extract). It usually gives you the Author, Date, and Location!

Part 2: What is the "Purpose" of a Source?

The Purpose is the "Reason for Living." It explains why the creator sat down to make the source in the first place. Every source is made for a reason!

To find the purpose, ask yourself: "What does the creator want the audience to do, think, or feel?"

Common purposes include:

  • To Persuade: Trying to get you to agree with an opinion (like a political speech or an advertisement).
  • To Inform/Record: Simply stating the facts as they happened (like a census report or a neutral news article).
  • To Entertain: Telling a story for enjoyment (like a historical novel or a movie).
  • To Explain: Helping people understand a complex idea (like a textbook).

The Target Audience: You cannot fully understand the purpose without knowing who the source was made for. A private diary entry (written only for the author) has a very different purpose than a public billboard (written for everyone in a city).

Key Takeaway: Origin is about Facts (Who, When, Where), while Purpose is about Intent (Why and for Whom).

Part 3: Putting it Together (The Analysis)

In the "Thinking Critically" section of your assessment, you won't just list the origin and purpose. You will be asked to analyse them. This means explaining how the origin affects the purpose.

Imagine this scenario:

Source A is a poster about healthy eating.
Origin: Created by a company that sells chocolate bars in \(2023\).
Purpose: To "educate" children about snacks.

The Analysis: Because the origin is a chocolate company, we can see the purpose might not be just health; it might be to encourage kids to buy their specific snacks. The origin changes how we see the message!

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Don't worry if this seems tricky at first! Many students make these common mistakes:

  • Being too vague: Instead of saying "The purpose is to give information," try to be specific. "The purpose is to inform the public about the new recycling laws in \(2021\)."
  • Confusing Origin and Purpose: Remember, who wrote it is Origin. Why they wrote it is Purpose.
  • Ignoring the "Source Credit": Always read the small print provided in the exam. The answers for the Origin are almost always hidden there!

Quick Review Box

Origin: The Who, When, and Where of a source. It’s the background info.

Purpose: The "Why." The goal the creator wanted to achieve and the audience they wanted to reach.

Criterion D Connection: We use Origin and Purpose to help us decide the Value and Limitations of a source (which you will learn about in the next chapter!).

Note: For more information on how to use these clues to evaluate a source's helpfulness, see the chapter on "Value and limitations of a source."