Becoming adept at evaluating information includes learning to spot misinformation and disinformation.
Misinformation is "false information that is spread, regardless of intent to mislead."
Disinformation is sharing “deliberately misleading or biased information; manipulated narrative or facts; propaganda.”
See this article for more information on the differences between misinformation and disinfomation.
How well can you tell factual from opinion statements? Take this Pew Research Center quiz.
Locating information, whether in traditional print format or in electronic format, is only the first step in doing research. The next step is to evaluate the quality and the usefulness of what you find. Ask these questions: Do the materials meet your research need? Are they factual? How can you tell? Who is responsible for the information, what is their area of expertise, and what is their motivation for sharing the information?
