Criminal Justice 280: Nielson

Currency: The timeliness of the information.

• When was the information published or posted?
• Has the information been revised or updated?
• Does your topic require current information, or will older sources work as well?
• Are the links functional?

Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs

• Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
• Who is the intended audience?
• Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)?
• Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use?
• Would you be comfortable citing this source in your research paper?

Authority: The source of the information.

• Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
• What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations?
• Is the author qualified to write on the topic?
• Is there contact information, such as a publisher or email address?

Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness and correctness of the content.

• Where does the information come from?
• Is the information supported by evidence?
• Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
• Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge?
• Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free of emotion?
• Are there spelling, grammar or typographical errors?

Purpose: The reason the information exists.

• What is the purpose of the information? Is it to inform, teach, sell, entertain or persuade?
• Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear?
• Is the information fact, opinion or propaganda?
• Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
• Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional or personal biases?

Created by Meriam Library, California State University, Chico

What is lateral reading?

Lateral reading is an effective and efficient technique you can use to evaluate the credibility of a potential source.

Lateral reading is simply looking for information about a source as you are reading it. You do this not by looking for information within the source itself but by going to other sources. Yes, it can be helpful to look for signs of credibility in the source itself, but sources of dubious information can look very polished and give all the appearance of being reputable. Leaving the source to find information about it can often help you make a much more informed assessment of the source's credibility.

So how do you do this? When you're looking at a source online, simply open another tab (or tabs) to cross-check claims, author information, publication information, evidence presented, etc. You may already be in the habit of doing this, which is great!

What should you look for when reading laterally?

• Is the information corroborated by other reputable sources? Has the information been disputed by other reputable sources? Can the information presented be tracked to its origin? In other words, has the author cited where they got their information? 
• Can you find anything about the author? What and where else have they published? Does the author's experience, education, or expertise make them a reliable source for the particular topic about which they are writing? 
• Can you find anything about the site on which the source was published? Is it a blog, a news site, an organizational site? What is known about their mission, operations, and how they are funded?
• Is there evidence of misinformation or disinformation? Are images manipulated or used out of context?

What tools can you use to read laterally?