Evaluation Questions to ask
Where did this information come from?
Is the author of the source clearly stated?
Are there contact details for the author?
Does the author list their credentials and affiliations, and can they be verified?
Is the information supported by evidence?
Has the information been peer reviewed or refereed?
Are there spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors?
What to look for on a webpage
Check the title, the section headings, and the opening paragraphs to see if a person or organization is named as being responsible for the content of the webpages. Keep in mind that the webmaster or person who designed the webpage is not necessarily the one responsible for the content of the page.
If you can't find any information about the author on the page you're looking at, then you can go back in stages to the home page. Delete from the end of the URL backwards to the first slash mark ("/") and press Enter on the keyboard. If you still don't see any information about the author, back up to the next slash mark. Keep going until you come to the site's homepage. See the Internet Detective URL clues page for more detail.
Check the domain name portion of the URL as the domain name often indicates what type of organisation and what country the webpage comes from.
What to look for in print material
Check the book cover blurb and look for information about the credentials of the author.
Check for references; in journals look for information about the credentials of the editorial board (if there is one).
Websites and Domain Names
One way to get a quick idea of who is sponsoring or publishing a website is to understand the domain name portion of the URL.
|
.com |
Commercial businesses and for-profit organization. |
| .edu | Educational institutions including primary schools in many countries. |
| .net | Organization directly involved in Internet operations. |
| .org | Miscellaneous organizations that don't fit any other category, such as non-profit groups. |
| .gov | Governmental organizations. |
| ~ (tilde) | Web pages created independently by individuals. |
| Country Codes | A two-letter international standard abbreviation such as ".de" for Germany or ".uk" for the United Kingdom. |
| .ac.uk | The .ac refers to "academic" and is used by United Kingdom universities |
Are your sources objective?
Being able to recognize bias is a key skill to acquire. If an information source is biased this does not necessarily mean that it can't be used, but you may need to look for other sources with differing points of view, or sources written objectively to "balance the bias scales."
Is the information written on behalf of a lobby group, think tank, religious or political organization? Read the "About Us" page and do more research to find out about the author and / or organization if necessary.
Are facts and arguments presented for both sides of an issue or only the author's own point of view?
Does the webpage include advertising? If so, can you tell clearly which parts are advertisement and which parts are information?
Does the webpage present as information but is actually an advertisement?
Does the page use inflammatory language, images, or graphic styles?
Information about the author and the author's contact details – look for a link to a university or professional organization.
Information about any organization associated with the webpage – look for a link called "About Us" or something similar.
Links to other articles and publications by the person or organization.
If you can't find any information about the author on the webpage, do another search to see if it is possible to identify the credentials of the author and /or organization.
What to look for in print material
Check the book cover for biographical information about the author.
Check within the source for a list of references, bibliography or footnotes.
What to look for in print material
For books examine the preface or introduction for hints about the author's purpose and point of view. For journals check whether the journal is a refereed or peer-reviewed scholarly journal.
Is the Author Credible? Questions to ask
What qualifications does this person or organization have to discuss this topic? Does the author have a university degree in the discipline? Is the author an amateur, or someone using the opportunity to express their own opinions.
Does the URL indicate what type of organization the information is coming from? If an organization is responsible for the pages, is the organization widely recognized as a source of scholarly and reliable information? For example, CSIRO for science topics.
Has the author provided any evidence to back up their information?
Can the information and the references be verified elsewhere?
Is there any evidence the information has gone through a peer-review process?
If you can't verify that the information is authoritative, don't use it!
Check the title, the section headings, and the opening paragraphs to see if a person or organization is named as being responsible for the content of the webpages – look for a link called "About Us" or something similar.
Information about the author and the author's contact details – look for a link to a university or professional organization. Keep in mind that the webmaster or person who designed the webpage is not necessarily the one responsible for the content of the page.
Look for links to other articles and publications by the person or organization.
If you can't find any information about the author on the page you're looking at, then you can go back in stages to the home page. Delete from the end of the URL backwards to the first slash mark ("/") and press Enter on the keyboard. If you still don't see any information about the author, back up to the next slash mark. Keep going until you come to the site's homepage. See the Internet Detective URL clues page for more detail.
If you can't find any information about the author on the webpage, do another search to see if it is possible to identify the credentials of the author and /or organization.
Is the information written on behalf of a lobby group, think tank, religious or political organization? Read the "About Us" page and do more research to find out about the author and / or organization if necessary. Check the domain name portion of the URL as the domain name often indicates what type of organization and what country the webpage comes from.
Does the webpage include advertising? If so, can you tell clearly which parts are advertisement and which parts are information?
Does the webpage present as information but is actually an advertisement?
Does the page use inflammatory language, images, or graphic styles?
One way to get a quick idea of who is sponsoring or publishing a website is to understand the domain name portion of the URL.
|
.com |
Commercial businesses and for-profit organization. |
| .edu | Educational institutions including primary schools in many countries. |
| .net | Organization directly involved in Internet operations. |
| .org | Miscellaneous organizations that don't fit any other category, such as non-profit groups. |
| .gov | Governmental organizations. |
| ~ (tilde) | Web pages created independently by individuals. |
| Country Codes | A two-letter international standard abbreviation such as ".de" for Germany or ".uk" for the United Kingdom. |
| .ac.uk | The .ac refers to "academic" and is used by United Kingdom universities |
Questions to ask
What qualifications does this person or organization have to discuss this topic? Does the author have a university degree in the discipline? Is the author an amateur, or someone using the opportunity to express their own opinions.
Does the URL indicate what type of organization the information is coming from? If an organization is responsible for the pages, is the organization widely recognized as a source of scholarly and reliable information? For example, CSIRO for science topics.
Has the author provided any evidence to back up their information?
Can the information and the references be verified elsewhere?
Is there any evidence the information has gone through a peer-review process?
Are your sources objective?
Being able to recognize bias is a key skill to acquire. If an information source is biased this does not necessarily mean that it can't be used, but you may need to look for other sources with differing points of view, or sources written objectively to "balance the bias scales."
Are facts and arguments presented for both sides of an issue or only the author's own point of view?
Don't use information you can't verify is authoritative!
According to media professor Melissa Zimdars of Merrimack College, there are four broad categories of fake news.
CATEGORY 1
Fake, false, or regularly misleading websites that are shared on Facebook and social media. Some of these websites may rely on “outrage” by using distorted headlines and decontextualized or dubious information in order to generate likes, shares, and profits.
CATEGORY 2
Websites that may circulate misleading and/or potentially unreliable information.
CATEGORY 3
Websites which sometimes use clickbait-y headlines and social media descriptions.
CATEGORY 4:
Satire/comedy sites, which can offer important critical commentary on politics and society, but have the potential to be shared as actual/literal news.
No single topic falls under a single category - for example, false or misleading medical news may be entirely fabricated (Category 1), may intentionally misinterpret facts or misrepresent data (Category 2), may be accurate or partially accurate but use an alarmist title to get your attention (Category 3), or may be a critique on modern medical practice (Category 4.) Some articles fall under more than one category.
Why should you care about whether or not your news is real or fake?
You deserve the truth. You are smart enough to make up your own mind - as long as you have the real facts in front of you. You have every right to be insulted when you read fake news, because you are in essence being treated like an idiot.
Fake news destroys your credibility. If your arguments are built on bad information, it will be much more difficult for people to believe you in the future.
Fake news can hurt you, and a lot of other people. Purveyors of fake and misleading medical advice like Mercola.com and NaturalNews.com help perpetuate myths like HIV and AIDS aren't related, or that vaccines cause autism. These sites are heavily visited and their lies are dangerous.
Fake news is expensive. Every year, Americans lose $39 billion in investment funds as a result of fake news, according to University of Baltimore professor Roberto Cavazos.
Always make sure the content you use is good information!