Learning in a digital age/LiDA104/Fact checking/Previous work

The first strategy for checking a fact, quotation or article is to look for previous work. In this section we explore tactics to find out if the fact checking work has been done by someone else.

Investigate the source

Before you invest too much time in reading the online resource, Mike recommends that you should investigate the source.

Investigate the source

Have you encountered false information from a questionable source? Do you think Wikipedia can be used for fact-checking about an organisation?

Reliability of Wikipedia

Wikipedia, the popular online encyclopaedia is edited by community volunteers, anyone is free to contribute. Many universities and academics distrust Wikipedia, yet it is one of the most popular reference sites in the world. So should we trust Wikipedia? Watch this short interview with Katherine Maher, the Executive Director of the Wikimedia Foundation who oversee Wikipedia.

Katherine Maher - Executive Director, Wikimedia Foundation

Read the following articles:

• Taraborelli, D. (2012, August 2). Seven years after Nature, pilot study compares Wikipedia favorably to other encyclopedias in three languages – Wikimedia Blog. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
• Coomer, A. (2013, May 13). Should university students use Wikipedia? The Guardian.
• Adhikari, R. (2017, April 13). Burger King Ad Creates Whopper of a Mess for Google Home. Commerce Times.

What do you think? Share your thoughts by posting a comment on WENotes, for example:

• I trust / don't trust Wikipedia because ...
• I think universities should / shouldn't allow students to cite Wikipedia because ...
• Other?

Note: Your comment will be displayed in the course feed.

Look for previous work

Read part 2, Look for previous work, of Caulfield, M. A. (2017). Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers. Part 2 focuses on:

• Constructing a site restricted search;
• Reputable Fact-checking sites;
• Using Wikipedia.