When you land on an unfamiliar website, open a new tab.  Figure out where the information is coming from.

• Google the author.
• Google the organization or its president.
• Wikipedia is actually really helpful in learning more about specific publications and blogs.
• If the article cites a source, go to the actual source to see if the claim is true.

It’s not about “About”

• If the site is trying to fool people, they can certainly make up a great “About” page.

Look past the order of search results

• Google does NOT put the most reliable results first; it puts the most linked-to results and paid ads at the top.
• Instead, look very carefully at URLs and abstracts.
• Scroll down to the bottom of the results page, or even to the second page.

Check the date

• The story may originally have been true, but is now falsely linked to a recent event.

Is this a joke?

• The source may be a satirical site. Go to the original, not just the Facebook post.

Check your biases

• Do you want to believe it because it confirms your feelings?

Consult the experts:​

These tips came from:

• Look at the content/substance, not the surface
• Having a perspective ≠ bias
• Look for the characteristics of quality journalism (Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics)
• Find the original source of the story
• Keep your emotions in check

Adapted from http://acrlog.org/2017/01/22/information-literacy-and-fake-news/