Created by the National Center for State Courts
In his January 2025 farewell address, President Biden said:
"Americans are being buried under an avalanche of misinformation and disinformation, enabling the abuse of power. The free press is crumbling [or] disappearing. Social media is giving up on fact checking. The truth is smothered by lies told for power and for profit…. Meanwhile, artificial intelligence is the most consequential technology of our time, perhaps of all time."
It is imperative that you know how to fact check, evaluate, and stop the spread of bad information. Learn how to combat the spread of misinformation and disinformation using any and all of the tools below.
The SIFT Method is specifically built to help you spot misinformation and disinformation. It is a set of four fact-checking strategies that guide you through quickly making a decision about whether or not a source is worthy of your attention and trust.
The CRAP Test is a tool to guide you through deciding if a source meets your definition of credible. C.R.A.P. stands for Currency, Reliability, Authority and Purpose / Point of View.
CCC Librarians' recommendations are listed below.
Practice “lateral reading,” a strategy used by professional fact-checkers to investigate the reliability of online sources.
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Originally published by UofL Research Assistance & Instruction (2021).
Except where otherwise noted, content in these research guides is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.