Research Help: Lateral Reading

Lateral Reading is a process of evaluating online resources where you fact-check your source using third-party information. It is a method used by professional fact-checkers. 

When you encounter an unfamiliar website, ask yourself these three questions:

1. Who is behind the information? Who funds or sponsors the site?
2. What is their evidence for their claims? Check their sources.
3. What do other sources say about the evidence, claims, the organization or the people behind the organization?

Now open a new tab in your browser and seach for the author(s), or their claims. What are trustworthy sources saying about this website? Are their claims legitamite or based on conspiracy? 

If a source seems untrustworthy, don't use it. Find a better source. Most importantly, if the source is on social media, don't spread false information by sharing. 

The Stanford History Education Group explains lateral reading (3:47 minutes)

Whenever you find an article in a news source, whether in print or online, you should attempt to verify the presented information in other sources and trace the information to the original source if possible. You should also do outside research on the source itself to determine whether it is credible. This process is known as lateral reading.

Lateral reading involves reading articles on the topic in question by other authors as well as reading other items by the author who wrote the article that you have. Here are some questions that News Literacy Project recommends that you ask yourself when you go through this process:

• Who funds or sponsors the site where the original piece was published? What do other authoritative sources have to say about that site
• When you do a search on the topic of the original piece, are the initial results from fact-checking organizations?
• Have questions been raised about other articles the author has written?
• Does what you are finding elsewhere contradict the original piece?
• Are credible news outlets reporting on what you are reading? Or are you unable to find the information in another reliable source?

When you encounter an unfamiliar website, it is advisable to open additional tabs in your browser and go through the process of lateral reading before doing anything else. A good rule of thumb is to confirm a news story in at least three different sources.