Source Evaluation Checklist W.8.8 | MLA Citation Conference Sheet | 8th Grade

Are your students copying from sources, forgetting citations, or struggling to evaluate credibility? This writing conference sheet for W.8.8 gives you a structured, standards-aligned system to guide source evaluation, paraphrasing, and citation during writing workshop.

This source evaluation checklist aligns directly to W.8.8 — gathering relevant information from multiple sources, assessing credibility, quoting or paraphrasing accurately, avoiding plagiarism, and following a standard citation format.

Instead of discovering citation problems at the final draft stage, this writing conference form helps you catch issues early and guide meaningful revisions.

If you want students to use sources responsibly and confidently, this MLA citation checklist 8th grade resource gives you the structure to teach it clearly.

This source evaluation conference form focuses on:

✔ Using effective search terms

✔ Evaluating source credibility (author, bias, date, reliability)

✔ Selecting relevant information

✔ Quoting accurately

✔ Paraphrasing correctly

✔ Explaining how evidence supports the topic

✔ Avoiding plagiarism

✔ Following MLA citation format

It supports research writing units, argumentative essays, and literary analysis assignments.

This resource follows the consistent writing conference sheet format in the other sheets for easy integration into writing workshop.

✔ Standard & Purpose Statement

The sheet clearly identifies W.8.8 and defines the purpose of evaluating and integrating sources responsibly.

✔ Source Evaluation Checklist

The checklist allows you to assess:

• Whether sources are credible and relevant

• If bias or reliability was considered

• Whether quotes are introduced properly

• If paraphrasing remains true to the original meaning

• Whether explanations follow evidence

• If citations follow MLA format

• Whether writing reflects the student’s voice

This makes it ideal for formative assessment writing during research and analysis units.

✔ Guiding Conference Questions

You’ll have focused prompts such as:

• Who wrote this source, and why are they credible?

• Is this source biased or balanced?

• Is this information directly related to your topic?

• Did you paraphrase in your own words?

• Did you explain the quote after including it?

• Are all sources cited correctly in MLA format?

These questions guide students beyond simply “adding a citation.”

Because evaluating credibility and paraphrasing can be challenging, this resource includes scaffolds and extensions.

✔ Scaffolds for Support

• Source credibility checklist prompts

• Quote-paraphrase comparison guidance

• Sentence frames for introducing sources

• Clear reminders about plagiarism

• Citation format reminders

This makes it ideal for middle school writing intervention during research projects.

✔ Extensions for Advanced Writers

• Comparing multiple sources for bias

• Integrating multiple sources into one paragraph

• Writing annotated explanations of source reliability

• Refining integration of embedded quotes

• Strengthening synthesis rather than summary

Advanced students learn to analyze sources — not just use them.

Small Group Research & Citation Workshop Adaptation

This source evaluation conference sheet works for:

▪ Source credibility sorting activities

▪ Paraphrasing practice workshops

▪ MLA formatting review sessions

▪ Small group citation intervention

▪ Research draft conferences

▪ Pre-final plagiarism checks

Because citation errors are common, this sheet becomes a preventative tool rather than a corrective one.

Sentence Starters for Evaluating & Integrating Sources

Students receive structured supports such as:

• “This source is reliable because…”

• “According to [author]…”

• “This evidence suggests…”

• “In other words…”

• “This supports the main idea because…”

These supports help students blend evidence smoothly and maintain academic tone.

This W.8.8 writing conference sheet includes AI reflection prompts that encourage students to:

• Evaluate whether paraphrasing is accurate

• Check citation formatting

• Reflect on credibility analysis

• Compare AI suggestions with teacher feedback

• Strengthen explanation after quoting

This positions your product as a digital writing conference sheet that supports responsible AI use in research writing.

Perfect For:

• Source Evaluation Checklist

• Evaluating Sources Middle School

• MLA Citation Checklist 8th Grade

• Paraphrasing and Quoting Practice

• Writing Workshop Conference

• Research Units

• 8th Grade Writing

• Middle School ELA

• Formative Assessment Writing

• Standards Aligned Writing Instruction

✔ Aligns directly to W.8.8

✔ Strengthens credibility analysis

✔ Reduces plagiarism issues

✔ Improves paraphrasing skills

✔ Reinforces MLA expectations

✔ Works in digital and print classrooms

✔ Supports research and argument units

Many students struggle to understand what makes a source trustworthy. This writing conference form gives you a clear structure for teaching that skill.

Formats Included

✔ Printable PDF source evaluation checklist

✔ Digital Google Doc access

✔ Ready for Google Drive upload

✔ Ideal for 1:1 Chromebook classrooms

This resource supports traditional, hybrid, and digital research environments.

Together, these standards form a complete research and analysis framework inside your writing workshop toolkit.

If you want a cohesive standards-aligned writing conference system for the entire year, the full bundle provides the full structure.

Ready to Strengthen Source Evaluation in Writing Workshop?

Add this source evaluation checklist to your writing workshop toolkit and start guiding meaningful conversations about credibility, paraphrasing, and citation in 8th grade writing.

Are your students copying from sources, forgetting citations, or struggling to evaluate credibility? This writing conference sheet for W.8.8 gives you a structured, standards-aligned system to guide source evaluation, paraphrasing, and citation during writing workshop.

This source evaluation checklist aligns directly to W.8.8 — gathering relevant information from multiple sources, assessing credibility, quoting or paraphrasing accurately, avoiding plagiarism, and following a standard citation format.

Instead of discovering citation problems at the final draft stage, this writing conference form helps you catch issues early and guide meaningful revisions.

If you want students to use sources responsibly and confidently, this MLA citation checklist 8th grade resource gives you the structure to teach it clearly.

This source evaluation conference form focuses on:

✔ Using effective search terms

✔ Evaluating source credibility (author, bias, date, reliability)

✔ Selecting relevant information

✔ Quoting accurately

✔ Paraphrasing correctly

✔ Explaining how evidence supports the topic

✔ Avoiding plagiarism

✔ Following MLA citation format

It supports research writing units, argumentative essays, and literary analysis assignments.

✔ Standard & Purpose Statement

The sheet clearly identifies W.8.8 and defines the purpose of evaluating and integrating sources responsibly.

✔ Source Evaluation Checklist

The checklist allows you to assess:

• Whether sources are credible and relevant

• If bias or reliability was considered

• Whether quotes are introduced properly

• If paraphrasing remains true to the original meaning

• Whether explanations follow evidence

• If citations follow MLA format

• Whether writing reflects the student’s voice

This makes it ideal for formative assessment writing during research and analysis units.

✔ Guiding Conference Questions

You’ll have focused prompts such as:

• Who wrote this source, and why are they credible?

• Is this source biased or balanced?

• Is this information directly related to your topic?

• Did you paraphrase in your own words?

• Did you explain the quote after including it?

• Are all sources cited correctly in MLA format?

These questions guide students beyond simply “adding a citation.”

Built-In Differentiation for Source Evaluation

Because evaluating credibility and paraphrasing can be challenging, this resource includes scaffolds and extensions.

✔ Scaffolds for Support

• Source credibility checklist prompts

• Quote-paraphrase comparison guidance

• Sentence frames for introducing sources

• Clear reminders about plagiarism

• Citation format reminders

This makes it ideal for middle school writing intervention during research projects.

✔ Extensions for Advanced Writers

• Comparing multiple sources for bias

• Integrating multiple sources into one paragraph

• Writing annotated explanations of source reliability

• Refining integration of embedded quotes

• Strengthening synthesis rather than summary

Advanced students learn to analyze sources — not just use them.

Small Group Research & Citation Workshop Adaptation

This source evaluation conference sheet works for:

▪ Source credibility sorting activities

▪ Paraphrasing practice workshops

▪ MLA formatting review sessions

▪ Small group citation intervention

▪ Research draft conferences

▪ Pre-final plagiarism checks

Because citation errors are common, this sheet becomes a preventative tool rather than a corrective one.

Sentence Starters for Evaluating & Integrating Sources

Students receive structured supports such as:

• “This source is reliable because…”

• “According to [author]…”

• “This evidence suggests…”

• “In other words…”

• “This supports the main idea because…”

These supports help students blend evidence smoothly and maintain academic tone.

This W.8.8 writing conference sheet includes AI reflection prompts that encourage students to:

• Evaluate whether paraphrasing is accurate

• Check citation formatting

• Reflect on credibility analysis

• Compare AI suggestions with teacher feedback

• Strengthen explanation after quoting

Perfect For:

• Source Evaluation Checklist

• Evaluating Sources Middle School

• MLA Citation Checklist 8th Grade

• Paraphrasing and Quoting Practice

• Writing Workshop Conference

• Research Units

• 8th Grade Writing

• Middle School ELA

• Formative Assessment Writing

• Standards Aligned Writing Instruction

✔ Aligns directly to W.8.8

✔ Strengthens credibility analysis

✔ Reduces plagiarism issues

✔ Improves paraphrasing skills

✔ Reinforces MLA expectations

✔ Works in digital and print classrooms

✔ Supports research and argument units

Many students struggle to understand what makes a source trustworthy. This writing conference form gives you a clear structure for teaching that skill.

Formats Included

✔ Printable PDF source evaluation checklist

✔ Digital Google Doc access

✔ Ready for Google Drive upload

✔ Ideal for 1:1 Chromebook classrooms

This resource supports traditional, hybrid, and digital research environments.

Together, these standards form a complete research and analysis framework inside your writing workshop toolkit.

If you want a cohesive standards-aligned writing conference system for the entire year, the full bundle provides the full structure.

Ready to Strengthen Source Evaluation in Writing Workshop?

Add this source evaluation checklist to your writing workshop toolkit and start guiding meaningful conversations about credibility, paraphrasing, and citation in 8th grade writing.

Copyright © Annotated ELA, Melissa Burch

Permission to copy for single classroom use only.

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