Tips for Evaluating Resources - ENG 112 - Writing/Research in the Disc - Research Guides at Rowan-Cabarrus Community College

Watch for Red Flags!

Scan your online resources for easy-to-spot red flags. Watch out for:

A specific point of view is pushed
Lots of advertising
Non-professional looking websites (poor design, misspellings)
Lack of citations or links to verifiable information
Merchandise or payment requests
No author/sponsoring organization is listed, either on the main page or in an 'About Us' section

Counter influence strategies for combating disinformation
Although this report was written for a global audience in light of foreign interference in elections, students can use this information to develop strategies for identifying misinformation in research.

Pew Research Center
The Pew Research Center provides information on the issues, attitudes and trends shaping America and the world.

It is challenging to determine whether information from the Web is credible and can be trusted. Is it factual? Biased? Relevant to your topic?

Here is a handy acronym to help you determine if a source may be CRAP.

CURRENCY: How recently was this information published/posted? Can you find a publication date?
RELIABILITY: Is the information supported by evidence? Can it be confirmed by other sources?
AUTHORITY: Who wrote the information - are they an expert or knowledgeable in their field? (i.e. For health information, did a doctor or nurse write it?)
PURPOSE / POINT OF VIEW: Why was it written? To sell something? To sway opinion? Is it biased toward a particular point of view?