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MLA? APA?  There's a difference! OWL Purdue helps students by breaking down the key aspects of each format.

The SIFT Method of Web Evaluation

Think you can spot a fake claim? 

Test your skills with Fakeout, an online quiz with headlines that may or not be true... you decide!

Trusting and Sharing Various Forms of Media

Misinformation comes at us every day, across many platforms and through a variety of methods. It’s all part of an increasingly complex and fraught information landscape. But what exactly do we mean when we say misinformation?

We define it as information that is misleading, erroneous or false. While misinformation is sometimes created and shared intentionally, it is often created unintentionally or as humor — satire, for example — that others later mistake as a serious claim.

Misinformation can include content that is wholly fabricated, taken out of context or manipulated in some way. Purveyors of misinformation often seek to exploit our beliefs and values, stoke our fears and generate anger and outrage. For example, during the 2016 U.S. presidential campaign, foreign governments, as well as organizations and individuals abroad and within the United States, flooded social media with disinformation. This nefarious form of misinformation is designed to sow discord, often around political issues and campaigns.

While we might feel overwhelmed by the volume, frequency and increasing sophistication of misinformation in all its forms — from deepfakes and doctored images to outright propaganda — we can push back and regain a sense of control. News literacy skills that are easy to adopt can help us become smart news consumers. 

“How to Know What to Trust.” News Literacy Project, News Literacy Project, 20 Jan. 2021, newslit.org/educators/resources/how-to-know-what-to-trust/.

Conspiratorial Thinking

One reason that people fall for conspiracy theories is compelling stories — conspiracy theories present exciting, fascinating narratives. A second reason is simplified explanations — complex social issues and problems are rarely clear-cut. Conspiracy theories provide people with simplified explanations and or something to blame. A third reason is motivated reasoning — believers in conspiracy theories tend to only search for and present information that confirms their theory, and to find far-fetched reasons to dismiss anything that proves them wrong. A fourth reason is a sense of belonging — many conspiracy theory communities provide believers with a sense of connection and purpose that all people need. A fifth reason is cognitive biases — conspiracy theories seem much more credible and compelling than they actually are because they take advantage of common errors in the ways we think.  

Misinfo_infographic_FINAL.pdf

Misinformation

Few problems with our information environment are more pressing or prominent than the proliferation of misinformation online. False and misleading content is often designed to target our emotions and use our biases against us, exploiting our most deeply held beliefs and values to bypass our critical, rational thought processes.But thinking and learning about misinformation can be challenging. Partisans lob strategic accusations of “fake news” at ideas they disagree with, or at news coverage they want to discredit. Social media platforms that have policies against misinformation fail to enforce them in ways that are consistent and effective. Bad actors who create and purposefully amplify disinformation do so for a variety of reasons, including political or financial gain or to simply to cause confusion and social division. They also employ an array of disinformation tactics and cover their tracks in clever ways.It’s important to keep in mind that academic research into mis- and disinformation is ongoing, and our understanding of people’s information habits — including why they might be vulnerable to false and misleading content and motivated to share it — is improving over time.Misinformation itself is also always changing, attaching itself to current events and controversial issues that gain prominence in the news cycle or national conversation. However, many of the strategies of misinformation — including placing photos, videos and quotes in false contexts, and doctoring or manipulating content — remain the same and can become recognizable with practice.