Research Toolkit: Evaluating Sources

One way to help quickly fact check is by using SIFT and practicing lateral reading (discussed in the video below). 

STOP

Before reading the article/resource, think about what you know about the website/source 

INVESTIGATE

Know what you’re reading and who is doing the writing

FIND

Can you find another source/resource that backs up the claim?

TRACE

Are you able to find the direct source of quotations/images used in the article? Has the author used them in a misleading way?

Adapted from the work of Mike Caulfied

In 2017, the Standard History Education group conducted a study asking fact-checkers, history professors, and undergrad students to see how they evaluate sources and what they deem credible. Check out the videos below to see the results and learn some evaluation best practices. 

Another way to evaluate sources is through ACT UP, an evaluation tool rooted in social justice and E&B. 

This material is based on original writing by Dawn Stahura at https://crln.acrl.org/index.php/crlnews/article/view/17434/1924

AUTHOR

Who wrote it? Can you find their bio, other scholarly works, or institutional affiliations?

CURRENCY

When was it published? Have there been more recent studies that may better inform your research? 

TRUTH

Can you verify the info? Do other studies support the original argument?

UNBIASED

Is the info presented objectively? Is the author upfront about or acknowledge their positionality and biases? Remember, bias isn't necessarily bad. Nothing we do is without bias, but it's essential to understand how bias informs our opinions and research.

PRIVILEGE

Is there anyone missing from the conversation? Have BIPOC scholars been left out of or uncited in the scholarly conversation? Can you find and support these BIPOC scholars? 

To learn why citing BIPOC scholars is important, check out the Citation Politics box below. 

As you begin to establish your voices as scholars, you'll notice that a good chunk of the literature you're reading is being produced and created by White scholars. Well, where's everyone else? 

The lack of BIPOC voices in academic literature results from barriers in academic publishing and beliefs of knowledge-making in academia. Originally discussed in Richard Delgado's 1984 piece, the lack of representation in academic literature is still a huge problem. 

One group of people fighting hard to raise awareness and combat this issue is the Cite Black Women Collective. We encourage our community to commit themselves to engaging with their praxis: naming, reading, acknowledging, and integrating the work of Black women into your classrooms, scholarship, and everyday lives. To learn more about their work you can listen to their podcast embedded below.