Misinformation and Media Literacy: Finding Credible Information/Websites

Check your bias! 

AllSides.com 
"The AllSides Media Bias Chart™ helps you to easily identify different perspectives so you can get the full picture and think for yourself. [The chart] is based on...over 800 media bias ratings."

Ground News 
"Looking to break free from your echo chamber? Ground News lets you easily compare how a news story is covered by thousands of sources across the political spectrum and world."

MediaBiasFactCheck.com 
"...the most comprehensive media bias resource on the internet."
Currently over 3700 media sources listed. Searchable by name of news source or url.

Media Bias Chart (AdFontes Media) 
See where news outlets are ranked on their factual reliability and the left/right bias spectrum.  

Mike Caulfield's S.I.F.T. Method is a quick and highly effective method for evaluating information, particularly in today's news and media landscape. It employs the practice of lateral reading, as opposed to focusing on a single source/the source of the potential mis-/disinformation, as the C.R.A.A.P. Test does. The S.I.F.T. Method is best utilized for research involving fact-checking, claim-verifying and/or finding "better" (more factual, credible and reliable) coverage of a topic.   

Need to evaluate a single source? Although we recommend Mike Caulfield's S.I.F.T. Method, the C.R.A.A.P. Test  below can still be useful for single-source evaluation.

Currency: The timeliness of the information. 
When was the information published or posted? 
Has the information been revised or updated? 
Does your topic require current information, or will older sources work as well? 
Are the links functional?

Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs. 
Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question? 
Who is the intended audience? 
Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)? 
Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use? 
Would you be comfortable citing this source in your research paper?

Authority: The source of the information. 
Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor? 
What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations? 
Is the author qualified to write on the topic? 
Is there contact information, such as a publisher or email address? 
Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source?
examples: .com .edu .gov .org .net

Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness and correctness of the content. 
Where does the information come from? 
Is the information supported by evidence? 
Has the information been reviewed or refereed? 
Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge? 
Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free of emotion? 
Are there spelling, grammar or typographical errors?

Purpose: The reason the information exists. 
What is the purpose of the information?
Is it to inform, teach, sell, entertain or persuade? 
Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear? 
Is the information fact, opinion or propaganda? 
Does the point of view appear objective and impartial? 
Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional or personal biases?

Overwhelmed by Google? Tame it! Use the    site:    operator! Here's how:

Type    site:gov    OR    site:org    OR    site:edu    OR    site:int

Then add your search terms to make Google only give you back results from government (.gov), organization (.org), college/university (.edu) or international treaty-based organization (.int) sites.

Ex.    site:gov mental illness statistics in the United States
         site:edu student activism on college campuses 
         site:int maternal mortality rate in United States

Knowing a website's domain history can be advantageous. Have they been around as long as they claim? Who really owns the domain? Knowing the answers to these questions can help you determine that site's credibility. 

ICANN Lookup
Look up the registration data for domain names.

DNSdumpster
DNS recon & research, find & lookup DNS records.