The Five Minute Fact Check (from New Jersey State Library)
Read content
- Is the information (or fact) from your source cited?
- If there is a citation, what is the quality of the source?
- Is the original source a primary source? Eg. law/bill, study or academic paper, dataset, interview, report, etc.?
Conduct a web search and review results list
- Is the fact you're searching for widely reported?
- Do you see consistent information being reported by experts or reputable sources?
- Can you locate the original source that reported the "fact"?
Search a fact-checking site
Considerations when evaluating sources
ACCODS checklist
- Authority: Identifying who is responsible for the intellectual content.
- Accuracy: Is the document supported by credible, authoritative sources?
- Coverage: Does the document clearly state parameters that define their content coverage?
- Objectivity: Is there bias? Is it easily detected?
- Date: Can you find the date? For the content to inform your research it must have a date to confirm relevance
- Significance: Does the document add something unique to the research?
(Summary of the ACCODS checklist was taken from the McMaster University Library "Finding Grey Literature Page: https://hslmcmaster.libguides.com/c.php?g=532218&p=3640975)