On this page you will find readings, videos, and activities that you can use to help students learn to critically evaluate information sources.
Readings
- Thinking Critically About Sources (Choosing and Using Sources, CC BY 4.0)
- Evaluating for Relevancy (Choosing and Using Sources, CC BY 4.0)
- Evaluating for Credibility (Choosing and Using Sources, CC BY 4.0)
- What “Reading Laterally” Means (from Web Literacy for Student Fact Checkers by Michael A. Caulfield, CC BY 4.0)
- Evaluating Sources through Lateral Reading (University of Louisville Libraries, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
- Fake News and How to Identify It (University of Louisville Libraries, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
- Expertise Matters (University of Louisville Libraries, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
- Evaluating Sources Using Lateral Reading (The Ohio State University Libraries, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
- Source Evaluation Myths (The Ohio State University Libraries, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
Videos
Lateral Reading
University of Louisville Libraries CC BY-NC-SA 4.0
Sort Fact from Fiction Online with Lateral Reading
Stanford History Education Group, Civic Online Reasoning, @Stanford University
Evaluating Sources for Credibility
North Carolina State University Libraries, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US
Additional Helpful Videos
- Source Evaluation (Utah State University Libraries, CC BY-NC 4.0)
- Real News vs. Fake News (University of Louisville Libraries, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
- Identifying Misinformation (University of Louisville Libraries, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
- Understanding Expertise (University of Louisville Libraries, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
- Assessing Expertise (University of Louisville Libraries, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
- Online Verification Skills: Introductory Video (CTRL-F)
- Online Verification Skills: Investigate the Source (CTRL-F)
- Online Verification Skills: Find the Original Source (CTRL-F)
- Behind the Scenes: Who Decides What I See Online? (CTRL-F)
- CIVIX Explains: Disinformation (CTRL-F)
- CIVIX Explains: Forms of Misinformation (CTRL-F)
- Becoming a Fact Checker (University of Arizona Libraries, CC BY 4.0)
Activities
- Evaluating Sources using Lateral Reading (The Ohio State University, Teaching and Learning Resource Center, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
- Lateral Reading Teaching Activity (University of Louisville Libraries, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
- Evaluating Fake News Activity (University of Louisville Libraries, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)
- Evaluating Expertise Teaching Activities (University of Louisville Libraries, CC BY-NC-SA 4.0)