Deciding how to represent a source in a research task
For a school-assessed research task, a student interviews a Karen-speaking elder about a farming custom. The elder's account includes a detail the student cannot verify elsewhere and a phrase the student is unsure how to translate. The student also finds a written summary online that contradicts the elder on one point. The task requires the student to present findings in Karen, cite sources, and reflect on the reliability of evidence. The student is tempted to drop the elder's unverified detail and to follow the online summary because it is written and looks authoritative.
1. Advise the student on how to handle the conflicting evidence and the uncertain translation.
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The student should present both accounts rather than silently choosing one, because the task assesses reflection on reliability. The elder is a primary source with direct experience, which gives a particular kind of authority; the online summary is secondary and its author and basis are unknown, so being written does not make it more reliable. The student should note where they agree, where they differ, and what would resolve the difference, such as another elder or a documented source. For the uncertain phrase, the student should give the original wording, a tentative gloss marked as tentative, and explain the uncertainty, rather than inventing a confident translation. This demonstrates control and honesty, which the criteria reward more than a tidy but unsupported claim.
2. Explain why dropping the unverified detail would weaken the response.
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Removing the detail hides the very problem the task asks students to discuss, namely how to weigh evidence. Keeping it, clearly labelled as a single oral account that could not be corroborated, shows the student can distinguish a claim from a verified fact. The response then has a defensible position: the detail is reported as the elder's account, not asserted as established. Dropping it produces a smoother answer but removes the reasoning that earns marks, and it also misrepresents the interview by omitting part of what was said.
3. State one ethical obligation in using the interview and how it affects the write-up.
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The student should obtain the elder's consent to be quoted and agree how the material will be used, including whether the elder is named. If the elder prefers not to be identified, the write-up should use a general description such as 'a community elder' and avoid details that would identify them. This may slightly reduce specificity, so the student should compensate by describing the context and the nature of the account, not by adding unverified specifics.