Research
Evaluation
It is critical to evaluate the sources you use for academic research, and as a citizen looking for information. You should routinely question the content you find, and learn to differentiate between misinformation, disinformation, opinions, and facts. Assess several aspects of all the content you find, minimally: pinpoint the purpose of the media, question the credibility, reliability, accuracy and learn more about the author and organization's background (motivation, affiliations, donors, expertise, bias, etc.), before deciding if the information is truthful. Evaluation strategies are necessary for understanding and navigating media in today's society.
Vocabulary
fake news [feyk nooz] (noun) False information or propaganda published as if it were authentic news
social media [soh-shuh l mee-dee-uh] (noun) Websites and other online means of communication that are used by large groups of people to share information and to develop social and professional contacts
evaluation tool [ih-val-yoo-ey-shuh n tool] (noun) A process or procedure to judge or assess the trustworthiness of something
credibility [kred-uh-bil-i-tee] (noun) The trustworthiness or reliability of something
bias [bahy-uh s] (noun) prejudice; consciously or subconsciously favoring one person or point of view more than others
accuracy [ak-yer-uh-see] (noun) The condition or quality of being true, correct or exact; freedom from error or defect
reliability [ri-lahy-uh-bil-i-tee] (noun) The ability to be relied on or depended on, as for accuracy, honesty or achievement
Sources: Dictionary.com, freethesaurus.com, Learningforjustice.org
VIDEOS
Topics include: Confirmation Bias, Fake News, Bias, Misinformation, Disinformation, Social Media, Lateral Reading
evaluation tools
Lateral Reading
The Modern Language Association (MLA) Resource Evaluation Checklist
![](https://www.google.com/images/icons/product/drive-32.png)
Web Evaluation Flowchart
![](https://www.google.com/images/icons/product/drive-32.png)
CRAAP Test Worksheet based on this CRAAP Diagram (Note: You need to be logged in to your mcpsmd.net account to access the worksheet below)
Basic & Advanced Website Evaluation Worksheets (Kami fillable forms)
Basic: https://kami.app/KqFOOpvb5xry
Advanced: https://kami.app/qa7biyZRkkWb
Key Questions to Ask when Analyzing and Creating Media Messages
![](https://www.google.com/images/icons/product/drive-32.png)
Learning for Justice (formally Teaching Tolerance) Evaluating Sources Handout
![](https://www.google.com/images/icons/product/drive-32.png)
TIPS
If you are looking for more information about information you come across, you can use Google to conduct an exact phrase search, but putting the search phrase in quotation marks "" (more information/ Google tips here)