What Makes a Resource Valid?

If you take AP Art history, you’ll practice writing responses to essay questions about works of art throughout history, and you will be asked to, ” Respond to a provided prompt with an art historically defensible claim or thesis that establishes a line of reasoning.”

So, what does that mean?

In order to make a historically defensible claim, you need to make sure that the books, videos, and resources that you’re using are credible. Ask yourself the following questions:

Who is the Author? What experience or credentials do they have that connect to the content? For example, does the author or content creator have a degree in Art History, work at a museum, or college related to art and art history?

How Recent is the source? Whenever possible look for recent sources. Even though you’re studying history, art historians are uncovering new information all of the time about historical works of art.

What is the author’s purpose? Are they writing or creating content from a research perspective? Were they paid by someone else to create the content, and if so, how might that influence the content? Is the content an advertisement for something else?

Be thoughtful when using the internet. Are you able to determine who the author of the content is? Are you able to find several other sources that share the same or similar information?

Overall, there isn’t one simple way to know that you’ve selected a source that has valid historical information. Some good places to start are your textbook, Smart Art History or Kahn academy. Museums can also be great sources of information. Next, see if you can find several sources that agree with each other.