When you find a source of information that looks worthwhile to you, it's smart to pause and evaluate the source before reading it closely and using it in an assignment. Ask yourself these basic questions to get started:
Many different methods have been developed over the last few decades to help us determine if a source of information is credible and reliable. Below you will find more information about how to evaluate your sources.
Consider these tips when evaluating information and media.
Anyone can buy a .com or .org domain. Some will be trustworthy and others may not be.
A nice logo on a professional looking website does not always mean the information is credible.
Many pages have advertisements and sponsored content that can be misleading, but it's not a good indicator of credibility.
Graphs, tables, and data, even footnotes, can be easily manipulated and faked. Explore questionable data and try to find the actual source the data is coming from.
Google a publication, author, or organization to help you identify whose behind the information and a potential bias.
Lateral reading helps uncover information about an organization, website, author, or publication. It's a simple technique, just open a new tab in your browser and use a search engine (like Google) to uncover outside information. It helps answer a fundamental question: Who's behind the information?
When you find a website that you are interested in reading or using as a source for your assignment, before you start reading anything STOP and consider these questions:
Don't share or post until you have more information about the website.
As you investigate you may need to revisit this step and decide if you should spend more time investigating the website or move on from the website and how much time and depth should you dedicate to this information.
Use your Google skills to investigate a source of information. This investigation is not an in-depth dive into the history of an author or organization, but is designed to give you a general idea of what something is about.
When you land on a website you are unsure about open a new tab in your browser and Google them.
Don't blindly trust the "About Us" pages on a website. Remember, they will only tell you the good stuff and they will avoid anything negative.
Sometimes when you investigate the source you'll find that the source is sufficient for your needs and you can continue with your reading of the source and integration into your assignment.
If you can't determine the reliability of a source you will need to find a trusted and credible source to get accurate information on the subject.
"Trusted" sources should have:
The Media Bias Chart can help you recognize publications that may present more biased information.
Most stuff you see on the web is not original reporting or research. In most cases, the more a story circulates by re-reporting and reposting, the more distorted and warped it becomes. It is often stripped of its context, which can distort the meaning.
Tracing a image, claims, quotes, and other media back to the original source can help you ensure the information is being accurately presented.
Evaluate your information using the CRAAP test. Based on what you discover, go back, brainstorm, and do more research.
