This tool is a table where each row holds one claim and the evidence behind it. Claim, evidence, your interpretation and your uncertainty sit in separate columns, next to the source, its date and the population the evidence covers. Rows with missing provenance are flagged so you can fix them before you write anything up.
It produces a working table you can print or download. It is not an assessed report, and it does not write one for you.
How do I use it?
- Write the claim you are testing, for example a statement you read or heard.
- Write the evidence: what the source actually says, not what you wish it said. The box starts with placeholder text, so replace it.
- Write your interpretation in your own words.
- Note the limitation or uncertainty, such as a small sample or an old survey.
- Fill in the public source (title, author or web address), the source date or data year, and the population or group the evidence covers.
- Press Add row. The claim and evidence boxes are required, and everything else can be filled later.
- Use Print table or Download as text when you want a copy. Clear form and table removes everything.
Example walk-through
Replace the placeholder with a statistic, for example “45% of people surveyed agreed”, and type a claim. Add the row with nothing else filled in. Because the evidence contains a number and the date box is empty, the status column shows several warnings at once: a statistic needs a source date, the source is missing, the population is not stated, and there is no limitation or interpretation yet.
The summary line above the table then reads “0 of 1 rows have complete provenance”. Now delete the row and add it again with a source, a year such as 2022 and the group surveyed. The provenance flags clear. The tool may still prompt you for an interpretation or an uncertainty, because those columns are part of your thinking.
How do I read the result?
- Status column: each warning tells you what to add. “Provenance complete” means the source, date and population are present. You still have to check them yourself.
- Question marks in a cell mean you left that box empty.
- Summary line: how many rows have complete provenance, out of the total.
The date check looks for a four-digit year between 1500 and 2099 in the date box, and only when the evidence contains a digit. Evidence written entirely in words will not trigger it, so judge those rows yourself.
What are the limits?
The tool does not check whether a source exists, whether a web address works, or whether a figure is correct. It cannot invent a source and will not fill one in. It should never hold private details about other people, so leave names of individuals and contact details out of your rows.
Your rows stay on this device only. Treat the table as scaffolding for your own research, and write your report, reflection and any team contribution in your own words. Whether a private candidate can enter a Global Perspectives component depends on your exam year, so ask your exam centre.
Which lessons explain the output?
- Identify the original source behind a repeated statement explains why the source column matters.
- Check the date and context of a numerical claim covers the date flag.
- Record uncertainty when evidence cannot be verified helps you fill the uncertainty column honestly.
- Build a source ledger with traceable quotations and paraphrases shows a full ledger approach.
- Sources and credibility is the module that ties these together.
If you want a teacher to look at your ledger and questions with you, see online one-to-one Global Perspectives tuition. The full list of learning aids is on the tools page.