If you're going to use websites as sources in research, make sure that the information presented is reliable. To do this, you need to evaluate the source. Here are some things to consider when evaluating a source:
Blogs are generally unacceptable sources for academic level research, but it does depend on your topic and assignment. Make sure to evaluate what you're looking at, and know what it's flaws are (if any) before you use it as a source.
The main point is to be critical and really think about where this information is coming from.
The CRAAP test is widely used to help individuals remember the criteria to check when evaluating websites. You'll notice the questions asked under the pneumonic are similar or the same as under Source Evaluation - this is just a different way to remember them.
CRAAP stands for:
If all you want to do is some fact checking, you can check out the below websites to help sort real and fake news and facts.
You can also check out EasyBib.com's article on spotting fake news.
The below infographics provide fact or fiction tips.
Evaluate these websites using the information from the Source Evaluation/CRAAP Test tabs.
Which of these would you use? Why?
These videos might help better explain various facets of digital literacy and fact checking.
There are ten videos in total in this series, all of which have valuable information. If you're interested check them out too!
