What is source evaluation?

When you’re scrolling through social media and news articles, you come across different information. You might believe that these articles are true and believable. The same can be said about reading the news online.

Many news articles and research reports are trustworthy, but there are also quite a few that can be made up or fake, also known as ‘fake news’. The sources used to create these news articles are incorrect or lacking information.

En person som sjekker nyhetssider på mobil og PC
En person som sjekker nyhetssider på mobil og PC

Access to large amounts of information comes with major challenges

The internet and social media have given the public access to large amounts of information. It is possible to research and collect large amounts of information in a short period of time and share it with others.

This access has also created major challenges. With Google being used as our main research platform and social media for sharing information, it can become difficult to screen the real news from the fake news.

Skjermpdump av Google
Skjermpdump av Google

How to evaluate sources critically

Today it is more important than ever to critically analyze all sources you use. The sources need to be critically evaluated. This includes looking at the following:

    • Who is the source?
    • How believable is what is being said?
    • What is the purpose of the text?
    • What do the language, images and graphs tell you?
    • Is the source up to date?

Who is the author?

What do we know about the background of the author and what does it say about the content presented? Does it make a difference if it is a person, an organization, or a government giving the information? 

It is important to view why a source wants to present certain information. Perhaps someone has paid to make it public?

Sponsored content is content that someone pays to get into a publication.

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Nærbilde av en mann som holder en iPad

How credible is it?

It is important to separate news and research results.

Research

Research has standards on ethical guidelines. Researchers are expected to meet the standards in the course of conducting and reporting research:

    • The result of the research must be testable.
    • The research must be peer-reviewed
    • The research must show what sources it is based on

News

Most newspapers and journalists follow a code of ethics. Editors and co-workers have the responsibility to know these ethical norms, and have to follow them. The code of ethics covers all parts of the journalistic process, from the part where information is gathered to the final presentation of it.

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Read more about The Code of Ethics for Professional Journalists here
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En dame i et laboratorium

What purpose does the post serve?

Most articles or ads have a specific purpose. For example, if a political party wants to get more votes, they will most likely run advertisements on their political views. When they do, they often criticize the opponent. A business looking for more customers will instead use rhetorical devices (language techniques) to convince more people to shop with them.

Take the time to find out the purpose of the news or ad in front of you.

Read more about rhetorics here

Analyze the language, images, and graphs

Another important point when evaluating the credibility of a source is to look at the language used. Does the text include a lot of spelling mistakes, or has it been written in an informal way? This can be a sign that the text has been translated from another language or that it has not been written by a professional.

Does the photo look real? Images can also be fake. Do a photo search on Google. Photos can easily be manipulated and edited to better fit the information being presented.

Not only language and photos need to be checked. Make sure you critically evaluate how numbers and graphs are presented. Check all the sources behind the numbers and graphs.

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Is the source relevant? Is the story up to date?

It is important to look at when a story was published. Always check the original date of publication for the story or when it was updated. Approved encyclopedias are good sources.

    • Have any new events happened, or has new research been presented since the article was first published?
    • Have any changes in laws, technology, or community situations since the article was published possibly made it outdated?
    • Are the numbers presented in the article based on old research?
    • Do you have any more new or relevant information on the story or theme?
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A world with and without source criticism

Watch this film from Full Fact, the UK’s independent fact checking organization.

Sources:

Media Rights:

    1. Getty Images
    2. Skjermdump av Google.com
    3. Getty Images
    4. Getty Images
    5. Getty Images
    6. Getty Images
    7. Getty Images
    8. Getty Images
    9. Google News Initiative – YouTube