Evaluating Sources

Evaluating where information comes from is a crucial part of deciding whether it is trustworthy.

When assessing a website, do not solely depend on the information provided on the site itself. Instead, open new browser tabs to conduct background research on the site, its creators, or the claims it makes.

Lateral reading is a technique for investigating unfamiliar online sources. It involves leaving the current webpage and using new browser tabs to check what reputable websites have to say about the unknown source.

In this video, The Digital Inquiry Group (formerly The Standford History Education Group) demonstrates Lateral Reading in action.

You can use these sites to see if the source of the information you want to use has already been researched.

• AP Fact Check / "Fact-checking, accountability journalism and misinformation coverage from AP journalists around the globe.
• FactCheck.org / A project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, this nonpartisan, nonprofit seeks to "reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. Politics (FactCheck.org - About Us.)"
• Fact Checker: The Washington Post / The Post's guide to the news, using the Pinocchio ratings
• PolitiFact / "PolitiFact is a nonpartisan fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in American politics. PolitiFact was created by editors and reporters from the Tampa Bay Times..." and is now owned by the Poynter Institute, a nonprofit school for journalists.
• Reuters Fact Checking / Reuters journalism fact checking feed examining social media narratives and misinformation
• Snopes / Long standing fact checking and myth debunking website.