Source Vetting & Evaluation
Source Vetting: Sites to Help You Verify Information:
Source Vetting: Sites to Help You Verify Information:
Allsides: A news aggregator that delivers stories from multiple points of view on any issue. Check out their dictionary for help navigating controversial terminology. Read about their editorial philosophy in which they explain how they navigate bias.
PolitiFact - Non-partisan fact checking from the Tampa Bay Times
Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics & Public Policy at Harvard University
Snopes - Fact checkers
FactCheck - Annenberg Public Policy Center
First Draft News - Non-partisan fact checking
Source Evaluation: Think like a fact-checker:
Source Evaluation: Think like a fact-checker:
Whether you are researching or just staying current with news, question your sources:
- WHO is the author and what is that person’s expertise with regard to the topic of the source?
- Sometimes the best thing to do when evaluating a site is to LEAVE it: Google the author!
- WHO owns the publication you consulted? How might that influence the information?
- In WHAT media form did your source reach you (Book, TV, radio, YouTube, blog, etc.)? How does the format impact the information it contains?
- WHERE was your source located? If online, what information about the source does the url/citation provide?
- WHERE might an excellent source lead you? Is it a scholarly source with a bibliography?
- WHEN was this information published? Does this impact its relevance? If accessed online, has it changed since you accessed it?
- WHY have you chosen this source? How might it help you?
Check out this tutorial on our YouTube channel which shows you how to find editorials and op-ed essays in our databases.