Guides How To Do Research Misinformation And Fact Checking

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Nov 17, 2025, 7:27 AM

guides how to do research misinformation and fact checking

Serving the Community College of Vermont & Vermont State University Misinformation is false information that is spread by people who mistakenly believe it to be true, while disinformation is false information that is spread with the intent to deceive or mislead others (Encyclopedia Britannica). You might also hear the term "fake news," which is a type of disinformation created and shared for commercial or political reasons. Often you'll see provocative headlines or titles for the purpose of getting you to click through to advertising. Some politicians or media personalities use the term to describe sources that oppose their views, or to discredit a legitimate source. Regardless of intent or motivation, spreading inaccurate information can cause significant harm.

We all share the responsibility of stopping its spread by being critical consumers of information and checking our sources before we share something online. The SIFT method provides great strategies for this. Image source: International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions Created by the National Center for State Courts In his January 2025 farewell address, President Biden said: It is imperative that you know how to fact check, evaluate, and stop the spread of bad information.

Learn how to combat the spread of misinformation and disinformation using any and all of the tools below. The SIFT Method is specifically built to help you spot misinformation and disinformation. It is a set of four fact-checking strategies that guide you through quickly making a decision about whether or not a source is worthy of your attention and trust. The CRAP Test is a tool to guide you through deciding if a source meets your definition of credible. C.R.A.P. stands for Currency, Reliability, Authority and Purpose / Point of View.

When you seek and find sources of information, determining whether it is evidence-based requires you to never assume its validity at face value, but rather to learn a set of strategies you can employ... Professional fact-checkers employ various strategies to analyze sources. Fact-checking has been referenced as a form of "information hygiene" (Mike Caulfield, Research Scientist, Center for an Informed Public), that when employed, it can minimize the spread of mis- and disinformation. Caulfield has synthesized a range of fact-checking strategies into a four-step process, know as the SIFT method outlined below. SIFT information on this guide was adapted from Caulfield's materials with a CC BY 4.0 license. For more detail on the SIFT Method and helpful videos, click on these listed links that take you directly to the section from the CC source: Introduction to College Research Copyright © by Walter...

Butler; Aloha Sargent; and Kelsey Smith is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, except where otherwise noted. Online Verification Skills – Video 2: Investigate the Source. YouTube, uploaded by CTRL-F, 29 June 2018. Hover Skills - Caulfield's (February 16, 2020) Let's hover! - how to investigate online sources using actual examples Use this section of the guide to find a list of fact-checking resources.

Contact UsLibrary AccessibilityUO Libraries Privacy Notices and Procedures 1501 Kincaid Street Eugene, OR 97403 P: 541-346-3053 F: 541-346-3485 Chrome Fake News Detector Simple extension that shows an alert when you visit a site known for spreading fake news. Chrome Know News Monitors for unreputable sites and displays a browser notification based on a reliability score (1-10) Tired of seeing misinformation? Never know who or what to trust?

Want better tools to sort truth from fiction? Here's a quick guide to sorting out facts, evaluating resources and becoming more knowledgeable about the resources you use to find information. Check Credentials - Is the author specialized in the field that the article is concerned with? Does s/he currently work in that field? Check LinkedIn or do a quick Google search to see if the author can speak about the subject with authority and accuracy. Read the “About Us” section.

Does the resource have one? Reputable websites will have some type of About Us section and will provide a way for you to contact them. A fact is a statement that can be verified. A statement of opinion is not a fact. Fact-checkers work with content that is written; they do not research new material. Fact-checkers read the document in question and identify and extract all content in need of fact checking.

Learn more about the differences between facts and opinions in the video below. The resources below provide fact-checking to assess the truth of claims made in political statements, social media posts, and news coverage. The resources below provide updates regarding what publications have been recently retracted as well as a list of ethical standards for publications to follow. Need help? Email us at asktulibrary@temple.edu Indianapolis Library / Library Guides / How to do Research - Indianapolis / Avoiding Misinformation in Media

Claire Wardle (2019), a leading researcher in the field of misinformation, identified 3 types of "information disorder": According to Wardle (2019), there are 7 types of mis- / dis- information and fake content: The four-step SIFT method, which was originally developed by Mike Caulfield, can help you maneuver through false and distorted information: Pause to give yourself time to think about the source's credibility and reliability. Verifying the accuracy and truthfulness of published information is a cornerstone of making media. Editorial fact-checking is line-by-line review of a piece before publication by someone who wasn’t involved in its creation, a “building inspector” after the structure is done, in the words of Brooke Borel of The...

This process requires evaluating discrete facts—names, quotes, data, and so on—but importantly also requires confirming the context and conclusions: “...A good fact-checker goes through a story both word by word and from a big-picture... A recent boom in fact-checking and verification websites and organizations, often dedicated to investigating and labeling the veracity of political statements and social media posts, is geared toward dispelling misinformation that has already made... This guide is primarily focused on the fact-checking required before publishing or hitting “send”—ensuring accuracy before media is out in the wider world. The Truth in Journalism Fact-Checking Guide (Truth in Journalism Project) This in-depth guide to editorial fact-checking (the thorough verification efforts often practiced by magazines) offers both the methodology and purposes of fact-checking, with “particular... Accuracy checklists are helpful brief guides for essential fact-checking: "The Role Of The Fact Checker" with Alice Milliken and Hannah Ajakaiye, a 30-minute audio discussion from Stage Talks with Bellingcat, delves into “the role of a fact checker in this digital age and...

Guides How To Do Research Misinformation And Fact Checking

People Also Search

Serving The Community College Of Vermont & Vermont State University

We All Share The Responsibility Of Stopping Its Spread By

Learn How To Combat The Spread Of Misinformation And Disinformation

When You Seek And Find Sources Of Information, Determining Whether

Butler; Aloha Sargent; And Kelsey Smith Is Licensed Under A