Educational Resources and Evaluation Methods
This page contains educational resources and evaluation methods regarding information and digital literacy to help you determine if something is fact or fiction.
Evaluating Sources for Credibility
This video provides a great summary on how to evaluate sources for credibility.
What is a Hoax?
A hoax is something fake that was shared on purpose to fool people into believing it is true. People create hoaxes for various reasons: to become famous, get money, teach a lesson or make people think, have fun and use their imagination, to make people laugh and sometimes just for being malicious.
What is a Hoax Website?
A hoax website is a deceptive site that contains inaccurate information. Hoax websites differ from general websites that contain unintentional false information, or misinformation.
What can I do to not get fooled by a hoax?
Know that just because the information looks professional and organized it does not mean it is true.
Read in a lateral not a linear way. Lateral reading means that you check different sources not just the same one. Linear reading means that you read just the same source. This is similar to fact-checking and cross-checking information.
Do not let your feelings convince you that something is true or false, always make sure to look for evidence.
Below are other methods for evaluating information:
A.S.A.P.
A.S.P.E.C.T.
W5 for W3
The Big 6
1. Task Definition
1.1 Define the information problem1.2 Identify information needed2. Information Seeking Strategies
2.1 Determine all possible sources2.2 Select the best sources3. Location and Access
3.1 Locate sources (intellectually and physically)3.2 Find information within sources4. Use of Information
4.1 Engage (e.g., read, hear, view, touch)4.2 Extract relevant information5. Synthesis
5.1 Organize from multiple sources5.2 Present the information6. Evaluation
6.1 Judge the product (effectiveness)6.2 Judge the process (efficiency)(Eisenberg, 2003, p. 14).
Evaluating Websites
(Spitzer, 2000).
WWWDOT Framework
Who wrote this and what credentials do they have?
- Check author’s name, credentials, contact information.
- If no author is identified, check who sponsors the Web site.
- If no sponsor is identified, check signs of qualification of author such as self‑contradictions or spelling/grammatical mistakes.
Why did they write it?
- Be aware of possible purposes of writing: to entertain, to share, to support, to inform, to educate, to sell, and to persuade.
- Be aware that one topic can be approached differently with different purposes.
When was it written and updated?
- Understand there are three categories of works: timeless, limited life, time sensitive.
- Understand that timeliness may also reflect whether the author is still maintaining the site.
Does this help meet my needs (and how)?
- Ask questions, including: Does the site give the type of information that I need? Is it too difficult for me?
Organization of Web site
- Be aware that knowing how a Web site is organized helps readers to navigate and find information.
- Be aware that knowing how a Web site is organized can help readers understand the content.
To-do list for the future
- Have a plan, which may help diminish distraction.
- Use a to-do list to keep track of additional Web sites and other sources to achieve a better understanding of the topic.
(Zhang & Duke, 2011, p.136).
AAOCC
(Tate & Alexander, 1996; Gardner, 1999).
AAOCC+ICJ
(Usher & Skinner, p. 32, 2008).
Ask, Seek, Sources Tested
- Ask the right question(s): a question that can be answered, that is significant, that is interesting and true (being able to defend its premises).
- Seek out the data: things about the participants or author that can be examined about the events to be reconstructed, e.g.: photographs, videos, publication date, references provided, etc. In other words, the evidence, which needs to be significant and not based on just one source.
- Sources and data must be tested for authenticity: Who created it? When was it published? Why was it created? Is the creator an expert?
Winks (1995).
FAKE NEWS
Fake news are news stories that are not based on facts and evidence. They are basically hoaxes shared through social media or news websites and newspapers that contain false or some false information.
6 Quick Ways to Spot Fake News
Date (It) Yourself: Some stories are old and are recycled, check the publication date.
The Echo Chamber: If a story that simultaneously appears on many different popular news sites sounds too good to be true, check to see if all of those sites are referencing the same source.
The History of Lie-O-Lence: Check to see if the source is a site that was created purely for spreading fake news, such as the National Report. There are lists out there with known fake news websites.
The Deception is in the Details: Pay attention to the details such as the URL. If it has an extra .co or .info for example, wahingtonpost.com.co, it is most likely a fake news site.
Picture Diss: Use reverse image searching through Google Image Search or TinEye to check for recycled photographs. This section is also related to the fauxtography term mentioned earlier.
Where In the World? ... Fake news about things that occur in Russia or China are often fabricated due to language barriers and perceived cultural differences.
HOW TO SPOT FAKE NEWS
IFLA (International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions) (2020)
(Based on FactCheck.org’s 2016 article How to Spot Fake News )
Fact-checking Websites
This is a great website to fact-check news articles and general information published online. The website was created in 1994 by David and Barbara Mikkelson, who concentrated on urban folklore. Snopes.com is one of the main fact-checking websites used today.
FactCheck.org was created in 2003 by Brooks Jackson. The website focuses on fact-checking the things that politicians say.
The TruthorFiction.com website was created in 1999 by Rich Buhler, who was a specialists on urban legends for more than 30 years.
Hoaxy is a tool that visualizes the spread of articles online. Articles can be found on Twitter, or in a corpus of claims and related fact checking. It was created in 2016 by members of the Indiana University Network Science Institute (IUNI) and the Center for Complex Networks and Systems Research (CNetS).
Media Bias Fact Check is a website founded in 2015 by editor Dave Van Zandt. This websites concentrates on media bias.
This is a fact-checking website that focuses on fact-checking political information said by elected officials. It is run by the Poynter Institute and it was created in 2007.
References
Clark College Libraries (2020). Evaluating Information: A.S.A.P. and W5 for W3: A guide to evaluating information designed and created by Clark Librarians. Clark College Libraries. Retrieved from https://clark.libguides.com/evaluating-informationEisenberg, M. B. (2003). Technology for a purpose: Technology for information problem-solving with the Big6R]. TechTrends, 47(1), 13-17.
LaCapria, K. (2016). 6 Quick Ways to Spot Fake News. Snopes.com. Retrieved from http://www.snopes.com/2016/01/21/6-quick-ways-spot-fake-news/
Spitzer, K. L. (2000). How to use soda pop, "the blair witch project", and other methods to help students learn to evaluate web information critically. Book Report, 18(4), 21-23.
Tate, M., & Alexander, J. (1996). Teaching critical evaluation skills for world wide web resources. Computers in Libraries, 16(10), 49-55.
Usher, W., & Skinner, J. (2008). Health websites and reliability components. ACHPER Australia Healthy Lifestyles Journal, 55(4), 31-36.
Winks, R. W. (1995). Lying to ourselves. Humanities, 16(2), 23-28.
Zhang, S., & Duke, N. K. (2011). The impact of instruction in the WWWDOT framework on students' disposition and ability to evaluate websites as sources of information. Elementary School Journal, 112(1), 132-154.