Addiction Counseling: Evaluating Sources
Four Moves
Mike Caufield is the author of a book titled "Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers." It is free on the web, and includes a one page chapter (yay!) on how to do your own fact checking.
Fake News Library Guide
- Detecting Fake NewsPCC Library student guide for detecting fake news and finding reliable information.
Evaluating Sources on the Web
On the web, it can be difficult to tell what type of source you’re looking at and whether or not it’s something that would provide quality evidence for your assignment. This video will help you look more critically at your own search results.
Evaluating Sources: Questions to Ask
How do you know if a source is right for your research? Below are some questions you can ask about your sources. There are no good or bad sources, but sources can be useful or not useful based on the sorts of evidence you're looking for.
- Who is the author? What do you know about the author’s background? (hint: Google the author). What makes the author an expert on this particular topic (remember that experience and research are markers of expertise as well as education)?
- What journal, magazine, organization, or website published this information? Look for an about page on the publisher's website (or explore their website) and also Google the name of the publication/organization/website (or look for a Wikipedia page about it) to learn more about the publisher of the information. What kind of reputation does it have? What is their purpose in sharing this information? Is it known for promoting specific points of view?
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Can you tell where the information in the article came from? Do they share any information from other sources or does it seem like they’re sharing their opinion? If they used other sources, do those sources seem worth trusting?
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Based on your answers to these questions, would you trust this source? If not, could anything from this article still be useful? Often articles link to other useful resources or mention other authors and studies that could be helpful.
You may not get good answers from all of these questions and still trust a source. For example, an opinion piece from a noted expert in a specific field could be a useful source, but chances are, they are not going to be citing sources. Information from the Centers for Disease Control website is trustworthy, but much of it doesn't have an author. You have to weigh each of these factors when making your decision.
Fact Checking Resources
- AllSides.comLooks at the treatment of the same current news stories and issues from media sources considered conservative, centrist, and liberal. Helps readers identify bias and avoid polarization.
- FactCheck.orgFactCheck.org is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.
- Media Bias Fact CheckResource for determining media bias through research and consumer opinions. Media Bias/Fact Check also provides occasional fact checks, original articles on media bias and breaking/important news stories.
- PoliticoNonpartisan, Washington-based political journalism organization that serves as the one-stop shop for the fastest, most in-depth coverage of the White House, Congress, politics and policy.
- Politifact Truth-o-MeterNonpartisan that evaluates the accuracy of claims made by US political officeholders, candidates, consultants, advisers, special interest groups, and pundits.
- SnopesThe definitive Internet reference source for urban legends, folklore, myths, rumors, and misinformation.