WRT 101S West (Crump)

Finding Reliable Resources

Use the tools below to help evaluate resources

Lateral Reading 

Lateral reading = fact-checking by seeing what others say about the source

A website can look professional and still be full of misinformation. Lateral reading helps you avoid falling for:

• Fake news
• Biased or misleading sources
• Websites pretending to be neutral or academic

Pause. Don’t take the site at face value.

Open new tabs and search for:

• The author’s name: Are they credible?
• The organization or website: What’s its reputation?
• The claims made: Are they supported elsewhere?

Check multiple sources to cross-verify.
Ask: Who funds or supports this site? Do they have a political or commercial agenda?

CRAAP Test

• Currency: Is the info up to date?
• Relevance: Does it directly support your argument? (Or your counterargument?)
• Authority: Who wrote it? Are they credible?
• Accuracy: Is it backed by evidence?
• Purpose: Is it to inform, sell, entertain, or persuade? Watch for bias.