Common Core LiteracyGrades 6–8Writing

WHST.6-8.8: Gather, Judge and Cite Sources

Also written as CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.8 · Cluster: Research to Build and Present Knowledge.

The Official Wording

Gather relevant information from multiple print and digital sources, using search terms effectively; assess the credibility and accuracy of each source; and quote or paraphrase the data and conclusions of others while avoiding plagiarism and following a standard format for citation.

Common Core State Standards, Grades 6-8, Writing: History, Science & Technical Subjects · Read it at the source · Checked October 14, 2026

What WHST.6-8.8 Means in Plain English

Students research subject topics in print and online, choosing search terms that find useful results, checking who wrote each source and whether its facts hold up elsewhere, then quoting or paraphrasing data and conclusions in their own words with a citation in a standard format such as MLA.

Fifth graders (W.5.8) summarize or paraphrase what they find and give a list of sources. Here every source must pass a credibility and accuracy check, and citations follow a standard format. Grades 9 to 10 (WHST.9-10.8) use advanced searches and authoritative sources, and weave information in selectively.

WHST.6-8.8 I Can Statements

I can choose search terms that find what my question needs.
I can judge whether a source is credible and accurate.
I can paraphrase a source and cite it in a standard format.

WHST.6-8.8 Worked Example

Both students researched the same road sign for an engineering class; only one could show where the explanation came from and why to trust it.

Prompt

Engineering class research note: Why do bridges freeze before the roads around them? Record your search terms, judge each source, then paraphrase the explanation and cite it in MLA format. Source 1, a driving forum post by user IceMan88: “bridges freeze first because the steel gets colder.” Source 2, “Winter Driving and Bridge Icing,” a page by engineer Dana Okafor on the Lakeview Highway Department site, updated 2025: “A bridge deck loses heat from both its top and bottom surfaces, while a road surface continues to draw heat from the ground beneath it.”

Not YetI searched “bridges.” Bridges freeze before roads because the steel gets colder (IceMan88). It is on the internet, so it is probably true.A one-word search could return anything about bridges. The explanation is lifted word for word from an anonymous forum post with no evidence behind it, the credibility check is “it is on the internet,” and the citation is a username with no title, site or date.

Meets the StandardMy first search, “bridges,” returned mostly travel photos, so I tried “why do bridges freeze before roads” and then “bridge deck heat loss winter.” A driving forum post by IceMan88 says the steel gets colder, but the writer is anonymous and gives no evidence, so I set it aside. The Lakeview Highway Department page was written by an engineer, was updated in 2025 and matches what our textbook says about heat transfer, so I used it. In my own words: the ground keeps warming a road from below, but cold air surrounds a bridge deck above and below, so the deck loses heat faster and can freeze first (Okafor). Works Cited: Okafor, Dana. “Winter Driving and Bridge Icing.” Lakeview Highway Department, 2025.The search terms narrow from one word to the exact question to the science behind it. Each source gets a credibility check, author, date and agreement with another source, and the weak one is set aside with a reason. The explanation is paraphrased in a new sentence structure, and both the in-text citation and the Works Cited entry follow MLA.

Moves to Use

Turn the question into search terms, then narrow them when results miss.Check each source’s author, date and evidence before taking notes.Confirm key facts in a second source, such as the textbook.Paraphrase in your own sentence structure, then cite the source.Record the full citation the moment you decide to use a source.

Common Mistakes with WHST.6-8.8

The one-word search

Searching “bridges” and using whatever comes up first

Try this: Have students write three search phrasings before they search, from the plain question to the key science term, and compare the results.

“It’s online, so it’s true”

A forum post by an anonymous username cited as the main source

Try this: Require a three-line credibility note for each source: who wrote it, when it was updated and where else its facts appear.

Paraphrase by synonym swap

“A bridge deck drops warmth from its upper and lower faces, while a road keeps drawing heat from the earth under it.”

Try this: Have students close the source, explain the idea aloud to a partner, then write what they said and check it against the original.

Where WHST.6-8.8 Fits

Comes BeforeW.5.8Gather information from print and digital sources, paraphrase it in notes and finished work, and list the sources.

AlongsideRST.6-8.8Tell apart facts, reasoned judgments and speculation in a science text, part of judging a source’s accuracy.W.8.8The same searching, credibility checks and citation in English class research.

Comes NextWHST.9-10.8Use advanced searches and authoritative sources, judge each one’s usefulness and integrate information selectively.

Practice WHST.6-8.8

Quick Check

How do the strong response’s search terms change, and why?
From “bridges” to the exact question to “bridge deck heat loss winter.” Each change narrows the results toward sources that explain the science.
What three checks does the writer use to judge the highway department page?
The author is an engineer, the page was updated in 2025, and its explanation matches what the textbook says about heat transfer.
Why is the weak response’s citation not acceptable?
It copies the forum post’s words without quotation marks and cites only a username, with no title, site or date in a standard format.

WHST.6-8.8: Other Names

WHST.6-8.8CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.WHST.6-8.8