Evaluating Evidence/Daily Practice: Becoming an Evidence-Savvy Thinker

Here’s an “Evaluating Evidence” Daily Practice Checklist, based on the Evaluating Evidence module from Wikiversity.^[1] It empowers you to engage deeply with the information you encounter—assessing credibility, uncovering bias, and refining your beliefs over time.

• Start with clarity: Reflect that every piece of information—from headlines to data points—is “evidence” and merits scrutiny. Real understanding builds over time, piece by piece.
• Set your daily intention, for example: “Today, I will examine evidence thoughtfully and adjust my views only when justified.”

Whenever you encounter a claim, report, or data point—notably in media, conversations, or your own thinking—run through these checkpoints:

1. Establish Relevance

• Ask: Does this evidence actually inform the question or topic at hand, or is it noise?

2. Examine Origin & Authenticity

• Query:
  • Where did this evidence come from? Who created or found it, and under what circumstances?
  • Is this the original, or an altered copy or interpretation?

3. Check Objectivity & Bias

• Consider:
  • Is this evidence a direct observation—or someone’s interpretation?
  • Are motives, interests, or affiliations shaping how it’s presented?

4. Compare Forms & Credibility

• Decide if it's:
  • Physical or documented evidence
  • Eyewitness or hearsay testimony
  • Presentation in news or reports
• Evaluate the trustworthiness of each form: original artifacts are generally more reliable than secondhand accounts.

5. Consider Scope, Context & Reliability

• Ask:
  • How representative is this evidence?
  • Does it consider broader context or multiple perspectives?
  • Is it repeatable? Can it be independently verified?

6. Look for Convergence

• Check whether other credible sources corroborate, contradict, or fill in context for this evidence. Diverse agreement strengthens confidence.

7. Watch for Rhetoric, Bullshit, or Deepities

• Be skeptical of statements that are:
  • Vague, overly emotional, or sound profound without substance.
  • Filled with jargon or designed to mislead rather than inform.

8. Align Evidence with Your Belief System

• Reflect:
  • How does this new evidence fit (or conflict) with my existing worldview?
  • Am I allowing confirmation bias to cloud my judgment?

Reinforce your evaluative mindset with reminders like:

• “I assess the quality of evidence.”
• “Evidence guides me toward truth—and away from falsehood.”
• “I understand and resist my own biases.”
• “I seek convergence and coherence, not shortcuts.”

Journal or contemplate with questions like:

• Which claims did I evaluate today—and how?
• Did I pause long enough before forming conclusions?
• What assumptions or biases did I notice—or need to challenge?
• How did new information shift—or reinforce—my thinking?
• What’s one way I can improve tomorrow’s evaluations?

1. ↑ ChatGPT generated this tet responding to the prompt: Generate an ‘evaluating evidence’ daily practice checklist based on the materials at: https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Evaluating_Evidence