Reading note / Sources
Find the source
behind the statement.
A quotation or chart is easier to assess when you can identify where it came from, what it originally described, and whether the version you are reading is complete.
Follow the trail to the original material.
A presentation may quote an article that summarizes a longer report. Follow that trail where possible. The original material can include definitions, dates, selection rules, or cautions that disappear when a finding is shortened.
Record the title, author or organization, publication date, and the location of the relevant passage. For an online source, retain the link and the date you accessed it. If the original cannot be located, describe that gap rather than treating the summary as a complete substitute.
Check what the source was made to explain.
A document written to describe one group or location may not answer a broader question. Look for its purpose and the circumstances of collection. A clear author name helps you identify responsibility, but it does not by itself establish that every statement is reliable.
Consider whether the source explains its method and whether important claims can be traced to supporting material. A promotional page and a detailed research report may serve different purposes even when they discuss the same subject.
Keep the context with the extract.
Suppose a team is comparing how community rooms are used. A local activity report may count bookings, while another document counts individual visits. Save the definition with the figure; copying the number alone removes the information needed to interpret it.
When you share an extract, distinguish the source's wording from your own interpretation. Include the relevant date and any important qualification. If a source has been updated, make clear which version you used.