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Are you a fact-checker?

by Unknown User on 2018-04-04T10:41:43-04:00 | 0 Comments

At this point in the semester, you are probably swamped with papers to write and research to do. How do you know that information you're looking at online is right for your research? Or even correct?

A good way to make sure you're not falling for hoaxes, lies, and "fake news" on the internet is to be a fact-checker. In his Web Literacy for Student Fact-CheckersMichael Caulfield breaks it down into four moves: 

  1. Check for previous work
  2. Go "upstream" to the source
  3. Read Laterally 
  4. Circle Back

Search the internet to see if someone has already fact-checked the site or piece of information. Make sure you are looking at the original source of information as most web content is not original. Once you get to the source, read what other people are saying about it. What is the consensus about the site, publisher, author, etc? Circle back if you hit a dead end. 

Most importantly, check your emotions because we are definitely blinded by them. If something you read makes you feel really happy, vindicated, or angry, fact-check it before sharing it or using it in your papers.  

For more information, check out Sources: Evaluating them in the Navigating the Research Process guide. 

And if you need any help with your research stop by and talk to a librarian. We're here to help!

 


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