Started by the Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania in 2003, they focus on fact-checking federal-level politicians ans their talking points. They objectively research political statements in the form of fairly lengthy articles.
Initiative to quickly debunk internet rumors. Listed by date, most recent first, or keyword search for older ones.
Visualizes the spread of fake news (according to fact checking sites) via publically-accessible twitter posts.
Started by the Tampa Bay Times in 2007, it analyzes statements made by American politicians on their Truth-o-Meter scale of True, Mostly True, Half True, Mostly False, False, and Pants On Fire outright lies.
Best bet for information on questionable stories that aren't strictly political. They use a rating system of true, mostly true, mixture, mostly false, false, unproven, and legend (pure urban legend - so vague that could maybe have happened, therefore can't prove/disprove).
Project from Howard University’s Department of Media, Journalism & Film. Focuses on fact-checking claims about the black community.
Types of Evaluation Methods
If you are looking for a great conversation starter and a more holistic way of determining a source's purpose and credibility, see our library guide on the CCOW evaluation method. |
CRAAP is useful as a basic introduction to the process of evaluation. If you are not sure which evaluation method to start with CRAAP is a great starting place. |
SOAPstone is a useful strategy for analyzing primary sources. This process will help you examine the different dimensions of a text, which can then be used to employ the text as evidence in discussion or writing. |
The SMART Check is particularly helpful when evaluating news stories. Determine if your news source is SMART before believing what is reported. |
SIFT is a 4-step method to quickly ascertain the accuracy of social media posts and websites by using fact-checkers' strategies of cross-referencing information. |
If you are not sure where to start or could use help evaluating a source, feel free to use the 24/7 Librarian Chat, where you can connect with a librarian any time of day. |
Do you have a strong reaction to the information you see (e.g., joy, pride, anger)? If so, slow down before you share or use that information. We tend to react quickly and with less thought to things that evoke strong feelings. By pausing, you give your brain time to process your initial response and to analyze the information more critically.
CC-BY-NC-SA
This guide was created by Andrea Baer and Dan Kipnis at Rowan University and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC-BY-NC-SA).
Find what others say about a website. In Google search for "[WEBSITE URL] site: -[WEBSITE URL].
Examples:
The results will be from other websites. While some may have some relationship to the original domain, other sites can give insight into what others say about that site.
Learn more about "web searching a domain" from Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers.
CC-BY-NC-SA
This guide was created by Andrea Baer and Dan Kipnis at Rowan University and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC-BY-NC-SA).