Evaluation of Sources

COMMON PRACTICES

How do we help students identify credible sources? Fake News from Real News? We have to show them how to dig deeper within the sources they are considering. This is as much true as they scroll Facebook as it is as they prepare current events or term papers.

STUDENTS

Here are a list of common practices students should be engaging in as they examine sources:

Date the Content: Unless students are looking at primary sources for purposes of exposure/comparison, sources should be recent. Current event news might require students to click on links within the content to track down original publication dates. Fake news will often sprout from old content. little-red-riding-hood-big-bad-internet-wolf.jpg

Compare Competing or Supporting Claims: Students should look at other sources for logic and referencing. Do similar news stories reference the same source? and/or have similar information listed? 

Check out the Source: What credentials does the author have? What other pieces has the author written? What types of stories appear in the publication? Do the stories seem biased? What types of affiliates are associated with the publication? Students should ALWAYS look at the About Us/Me, Contact Info, and Legal or Disclaimer  links. What do they learn there? 

Look for Quotes: Fake news often does not possess quotes. If quotes are present, who is saying them? Is this a credible source? 

Check the Headlines to Content: Fake news will often contain misleading headlines with storylines that are not related in any way. 

Look at the Page Design: Cluttered and clunky pages are often associated with fake news. 

Look at the url: Fake news/biased accounts often end in sites with endings like: .co, .info. or lo. 

Opinion isn't Fact: Just because a blog post appears under a larger site like Forbes doesn't mean it isn't opinion, and often these pieces are not held to the same editing procedures. 

Reverse Image Searching: Use Google Image or TinEye Links to an external site. to find the original publication of an image.

Check Their Own Bias: Readers tend to believe and share information that aligns with their own beliefs. This is known as confirmation bias Links to an external site.. Students need to be aware of their own beliefs on a subject and evaluate WHY they are choosing a source. Additionally some sites might be biased, which can prove problematic when trying to unearth all of the facts. 

Fact Check It: Use sites like , snopes Links to an external site., Hoax-Slayer Links to an external site., or politifact Links to an external site..

Use the CRAAP test: Credibility, Relevance, Accuracy, Authority, and Purpose. Feel free to use Download this visual

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TEACHERS

Model Good Research/ Let them Practice: Research is hard. Students need to see adults grapple with research and evaluate sources. There are many lesson plans at the end of this unit for your use in this area. 

Help them Respect our Rights and Obligations of Speech: Of course, it always helps to talk to students about the First Amendment Links to an external site. and attributes of good journalism Links to an external site.. 

Embed Check Points in Assignments: Check in with students often to discuss their progress and answer their questions. Ask to see their sources. 

Use Critical Thinking Exercises: Require students to write about their own biases on a subject and to be aware of how they want to go about researching the topic (and maybe how they should go about it). Have students include an explanation of why they chose their sources. 

Call out Faulty Sources: Help students examine sources if they are not appropriate. Encourage them to call out inaccurate information making rounds on their social media hangouts.