WaGS 101

Throughout your entire research process you should be constantly evaluating the sources you are finding. This is true for sources found via Google or library databases. Some questions you may want to consider are:

1. WHO wrote it, and what is their expertise in the subject?
2. WHAT argument is it making?
3. WHEN was it published?
4. WHERE was it published?
5. WHY was it published?

After answering the basic 5W's, go deeper and Think Like a Fact-Checker.

When doing research--whether in a library database or on the open Web--you face an onslaught of information that can get very overwhelming. How do you know what to believe? How do you decide what's credible? 

The truth is, there is no easy formula for determining whether a source is authoritative and credible, but adding these four moves to your researching repertoire will help you sift through the sources you encounter. When evaluating an author's claims or evidence, make sure you:

• Check for previous work: Look around to see if someone else has already fact-checked the claim, critiqued a thesis or evidence, or provided a synthesis of research.
• Go upstream to the source: Go “upstream” to the source of the claim. Most web content is not original, and scholarly articles generally cite numerous other sources. Get to the original sources to understand the trustworthiness of the information, evidence, or assertion.
• Read laterally: Once you get to the source of a claim, read what other people say about the source--its author, the reputation of the publication it appears in, etc. Understanding the conversation about a source--including when it was published--is vital to evaluating it.
• Circle back: If you get lost, hit dead ends, or find yourself going down an increasingly confusing rabbit hole, back up and start over with the knowledge that you've found. Making a fresh start with new information means you’re likely to take a more informed path, with different search terms and better decisions.

In addition to these moves, try to cultivate this mindset: stay self-critical, and check your emotions. Whether reading a Tweet, a news article, or a scholarly journal, you'll come across ideas that excite or enrage you. These are exciting moments as a researcher, because it tells you you've found something that engages you, but these moments can also be dangerous. Rather than taking a claim at face value--and then using it uncritically in a paper or, worse, sharing it on social media--STOP, and use the four techniques. 

Adapted from Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers by Mike Caulfield