The problem many of us face comes with validating the truthfulness of the sources where we seek or receive such information. We don't have enough time to check whether the origins of data we receive right at the moment we get them. With the number of sources that we find, and often with conflicting, misleading, or vague results on our queries, we can all agree that it is important that we check on their validity, accuracy, and reliability.
Many of us may have done some research in our school, college, or university. We search for books, scholarly articles, journals, periodicals where we find the facts we are looking for. It means that many of us already possess this skill of critically evaluating information sources. These methods may seem tedious and require a large amount of time, but if we want to get the truth on the things we search for, we should consider employing them in our quest for accurate information.
To help us get the facts on our queries, especially over the internet, we should always examine the credibility of our source. We can see that we cannot always guarantee the trustworthiness of any sources of information. Using our judgment is needed even when we look for formal sources such as scholarly articles. It is also often difficult to differentiate trustworthy sources from those that are not. Our source must have a reputation for the quality and integrity of the information they publish, whether online or on traditional platforms. This will determine how reliable they are. The creators of those sources must be known to produce outputs with consistency and honesty and employ standards accepted in their respective fields when doing so. The expertise of the author or creator in the field related to our search or interest is also important. It determines how authoritative they are in their respective fields of study. The information about the author/creator or publisher, the organization(s) behind them, methods of research, and other information regarding the sources we subscribe to should be easily accessible and verifiable.
We should also question the validity of our information sources. It means that the research to obtain the data or knowledge they present is conducted in ways that are acceptable in the respective field of study, such as the precise methods used in the field of science. They must also be free from any form of fallacies, emotional manipulation, deception, and/or misleading assumptions. Check if the source of information has any ideology they support, that is if they subscribe to a specific system of beliefs. Organizations like religious groups, political groups, and advocacy groups hold specific ideologies. There also might have objectives fashioned by those ideologies. That means that they have an agenda behind the publishing of information. Also, be guarded against the tendency of a source to over-emphasize certain ideas and unfairly disregard other details. This is what we know as bias.
There are many forms of biases we can encounter. One is widespread and is known as confirmation bias. It is when an individual acknowledges only the information that fits into their assumption while disregarding others that do not. Another one is what we call confounding bias. It is common in research and happens when a researcher fails to rule out the impacts of other variables different from the ones she is considering. There is also known as selection bias wherein samples used in research fail to represent the entire population for evident reasons.
When using the internet for searches, be wary that we can all fall for what we call search engine bias. Search engines are biased portals of information people seek. It affects the way the results of searches depending on the algorithms (specific sets of instructions followed by search engines to respond to searches). Corporate sponsors, ad revenues, and politics can affect propriety search engines on how they display the results of queries. It skews the process we obtain results and limits us to have the entire spectrum of available information we need.
While doing searches online, determine how recent the data presented in your source and use only the most current ones. Look for sources that provide depth compared to just an overview of the subject. Always seek impartial and authoritative experts on the area of study or the field of interest you are searching for.
Finally, accuracy is important. There should always be convenient ways to determine and verify the information we obtain. Comparing them with other information sources should yield similar outcomes. They should correspond to real-world tests. Many factors affect the accuracy of the information we receive. We should be wary if there is emotional manipulation hidden within the presentation of data we are gathering. Accurate sources of information don't have biases, their conclusions represent the way things are in actual the world. Many sources do not use facts and logic to convince us but bypass our mind and get to our "heart" or "gut". If a source of information tries to persuade us by manipulating our emotions, it can only mean that such a source is devoid of accuracy.
How can we apply these methods? One thing is when reading news materials online. We can ask ourselves if the source of news has the proper credentials to make us say that the items they create are credible and reliable. It is not uncommon for the mainstream media to show an apparent bias towards an issue. What can help us get the facts when reading news is to compare it to other news sources and decide for yourself if the information you get is factual. In general, mainstream news media are still reliable since they have editors and journalists that have expertise and experience in the field of broadcasting news. Just be mindful of the ideology and biases that may arise from individual news personalities
Another thing is when reading about scientific publications and scholarly articles. That is if you're into those kinds of things. Scientists and researchers working in the same field review each others' work. This is what we call "peer-review". When an article about certain findings is done, they sent the article to the researcher's "peers", or those others who are also "experts" in the same field. The peers evaluate an article if it has merits on being publicized. In this way, the readers are ensured of the quality of the work. Although, peer-review is not the only criterion to ensure that the work is truly valid. It is only a preliminary test to eliminate any chances of pseudoscience and low-quality works. It helps find if the research is important, relevant, valid, followed the prescribed methods of research, the conclusions logical, and the findings original. Those works also undergo a rigorous and meticulous editorial process and many articles are rejected several times before they can get published.
What can help us with validating our sources of information? One thing we can do is improving our critical thinking skills. As there are many conflicting results that sources may give, we should be skeptical at first about the information they are presenting us. Always check for the sources' leanings and biases. Be wary of information sources trying to persuade us using our emotions. Another way is to learn about logic. This way we can determine fallacies that exist in arguments presented to us and we can learn to properly evaluate how valid they are. By these and other methods, however tedious they seem to be, we can be sure that the information we receive is relevant, truthful, and factual.
TO SUM UP:
Always check for:
✓ credibility
✓ quality
✓ integrity
✓ validity
✓ accuracy
Be guarded against:
✗ biases (ideologies, agenda, influences)
✗ emotional manipulation
What can help:
✓ Critical thinking skills
Embedded Video: North Carolina State University
Searching Facts in the Age of Misinformation and Lies by Leandro Angelo Castro is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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