What are three 3 criteria you can use in evaluating the credibility of an information source?

Currency : the timeliness of the information

• If relevant, when was the information gathered?
• When was it posted?
• When was it last revised?
• Are links functional and up-to-date?
• Is there evidence of newly added information or links?

Relevance : the uniqueness of the content and its importance for your needs.

• What is the depth and breadth of the information presented?
• Is the information unique?
• Is it available elsewhere, in print or electronic format?
• Could you find the same or better information in another source?
• Who is the intended audience? Is this easily determined?
• Does the site provide the information you need? Your overall assessment is important. Would you be comfortable using this source for a research paper?

Authority : the source of the information

• Who is the author/creator/sponsor?
• Are author's credentials listed?
• Is the author a teacher or student of the topic? Does the author have a reputation?
• Is there contact information, such as an e-mail address? Has the author published works in traditional formats?
• Is the author affiliated with an organization? Does this organization appear to support or sponsor the page?

Accuracy: the reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the information

• Where does the information come from?
• Are the original sources of information listed?
• Can you verify any of the information in independent sources or from your own knowledge?
• Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
• Does the language or tone seem biased?
• Are there spelling, grammar, or other typos?

Purpose : the presence of bias or prejudice

• Are possible biases clearly stated?
• Is advertising content vs. informational content easily distinguishable?
• Are editorials clearly labeled?
• Is the purpose of the page stated?
  
• Is the purpose to: inform? teach? entertain? enlighten? sell? persuade?

Source - Meriam Library at California State University, Chico: http://www.csuchico.edu/lins/handouts/eval_websites.pdf

CUL - NAV

Monday October 17th, 2022

How do you determine if a source is credible? You can evaluate the reliability and scholarship of information you find both online and in print by using these guidelines:

• Authorship
  If the author is not identified be wary. When an article or website is authored anonymously it has little credibility. It should be evident who created the content. What are the author's credentials? Does he/she have expertise in this field? Is biographical information provided?
  
• Publisher
  This can help you determine the origin of the document, for example whether it is produced by an established publisher, a government agency, a nonprofit organization, or a commercial website. Consider the publisher's reputation and trustworthiness.
• Accuracy and objectivity
  Can the facts presented on a website be substantiated elsewhere? Beware of information that can't be confirmed or that presents a biased view. Always check multiple sources to determine credibility.
  
• Timeliness
  Be aware of when the web page was created and how recently it's been updated. Is the information current? Outdated information and broken links indicate the page is not being maintained.
• Footnotes and bibliographies
  Legitimate references and links to other sources can add to a document's credibility and depth of scholarship.
• Sponsorship
  Some sites are officially approved by the parent organization to which they're linked. Others can be on a parent site but not officially sponsored by the organization. A personal homepage on a university's server does not automatically confer credibility.

Our biases can make all of us susceptible to false or misleading information. Bias is a tendency to believe that some people, ideas, etc., are better than others, which often results in treating some people unfairly. There are several kinds of bias that you should be aware of:

Explicit Bias

Explicit bias refers to attitudes and beliefs (positive or negative) that we consciously or deliberately hold and express about a person or group. Explicit and implicit biases can sometimes contradict each other. 

Implicit Bias

Implicit bias includes attitudes and beliefs (positive or negative) about other people, ideas, issues, or institutions that occur outside of our conscious awareness and control, which affect our opinions and behavior. Everyone has implicit biases—even people who try to remain objective (e.g., judges and journalists)—that they have developed over a lifetime. However, people can work to combat and change these biases.

Confirmation Bias

Confirmation bias, or the selective collection of evidence, is our subconscious tendency to seek and interpret information and other evidence in ways that affirm our existing beliefs, ideas, expectations, and/or hypotheses. Therefore, confirmation bias is both affected by and feeds our implicit biases. It can be most entrenched around beliefs and ideas that we are strongly attached to or that provoke a strong emotional response.

Source: "Confirmation and Other Biases." Facing History and Ourselves. 

Watch the following video to learn about confirmation bias:

Source: Above the Noise. "Why Do Our Brains Love Fake News?" Online video clip. YouTube. YouTube, 3 May 2017. 18 June 2020.

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