Research Guides: Disinformation and Misinformation: Identifying False Information

The first step to being able to recognize dis/misinformation is knowing that it's out there!

On this page, you will find resources about types of dis/misinformation; how to consume information thoughtfully and critically; and red flags to look out for.

Digital Citizenship Tools

Crash Course: Navigating Digital Information
The internet is full of information, a lot of it notably wrong. Crash Course is here to arm you with the skills to separate the good stuff from the inaccurate stuff and browse the internet with confidence.

How to Know What's Real
From The Atlantic, season 6 of the How To podcast explores deepfakes, illusions, misinformation, and how to make sense of where things are really happening. Examines how technology has altered our sense of connectedness and how to determine what is authentic and true.

The ACT UP Method is a series of questions to guide you through learning more about an information source and its context, whether you are conducting research for an assignment or just going about your everyday life. It can help you determine whether a source is credible or useful for your purposes.

Author

Your sources should have named authors. The author is usually a person or group of people, but it might be an organization. A reference source might have an editor of the whole work listed instead of the author of the specific section.

Who is the author?
What can you learn about them? What else have they written? Google them!
If there is no author listed, think about why someone might put information out into the world without taking credit for it!

Currency

In this case, "currency" means "how current something is."

Currency is relative. It depends on context and what you are using an information source for. Yesterday's weather report won't help you decide what to wear today, but a news article published yesterday might still provide relevant information about a developing story.

When was it published?
What dates are important for your topic?

Truth

An author should provide evidence for the things they say, especially if they are trying to persuade you that their perspective is correct.

How does the author support the claims they make?
What is the evidence they provide?
Can you find other sources that also support these claims? Compare to other sources you find.

Unbiased

We all have our own perspectives and biases, and the same is true of any author! Make sure you understand what an author's perspective is and what reasons the author has for their opinion.

What is the purpose of the source?
Does it have a stated point of view?
Is it trying to convince the audience of something?
What is the author's perspective?
Could there be hidden bias?

Privilege

There is privilege in all kinds of publishing. The author of any individual source is almost never the only person with something to say about a topic.

What other perspectives would be relevant to this topic?
Whose perspectives are missing?
Do you think your perspective is missing?

Spotting Fakes & Disinformation in the Wild

RumorGuard 5 Factors
A list of 5 factors to consider when determining whether a source is credible: authenticity, source, evidence, context, and reasoning. Also provides resources on different techniques for evaluating the 5 Factors.
The Full Fact Toolkit
From Full Fact, an independent non-profit network of fact-checkers, a set of simple, practical tools anyone can use to identify bad information.
How to Spot a Fake Photo
From the BBC, clues that can help you identify if an image has been altered or faked.
How to Spot a Fake Video
From the Washington Post's Fact Checker, a guide to different ways that videos can be manipulated or falsified and tips for how to spot a fake.
Spotting and Combating Disinformation When News Breaks
From PEN America, a nonprofit dedicated to protecting freedom of speech and expression, a primer for spotting and combatting disinformation in breaking news, especially in the context of accessible GenAI tools, increased political polarization, and declining trust in news.

Fact-Checking and Bias Rating Tools

Snopes
A member of the International Fact-Checking Network, Snopes is an independent publication that has been investigating urban legends, hoaxes, and folklore for over thirty years.
FactCheck.org
A nonpartisan, nonprofit consumer advocacy group that monitors the factual accuracy of what major U.S. political players say in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews, and news releases with the goal of applying the best practices of journalism and scholarship to increase public knowledge and understanding.
AllSides
AllSides curates news stories from left, right, and centrist political perspectives to present a fuller view of current events. Also rates the bias of news organizations on a political spectrum.
Media Bias/Fact Check
An independent website that assesses the political bias and factual reporting of large and small media outlets.