The way in which news is delivered and consumed has changed rapidly over time and continues to evolve today. This video series examines some of the issues that have arisen from this, defining fake news and explaining and providing examples of hoaxes, scams, clickbait, jokes, advertising, spin, propaganda, satire and sensationalism.
Evaluating information sources is a important part of the research process. Not all information is reliable or true, nor will all information be suitable for your assignment or project. Users must be able to critically evaluate the appropriateness of all types of information sources prior to relying on the information.
In brief, to critically analyse a source for its usefulness, you ask the following questions
Who has written the information and what authority do they have? Is the information objective or biased? Is there a hidden agenda? Is it corroborated by other sources? How current is the information? Is it relevant to your topic?
To help identify the answers to these questions we use the C.R.A.A.P. test
The following resources may be useful as you start your research.The checklist summarizes this page and the Summary of Information Sources Template can be used to keep track of your research. |