Research Guides: Black Lives Matter: Critical Thinking

Critical Thinking

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Five Ws and an H: A Quick Introduction to Critical Thinking

When evaluating a source, even one you found in a library database, you need to look at it with a critical lens. Ask yourself a few questions:

WHO: Who wrote the article and who is it written for? Is the author in an expert in the subject or do they have a particular bias?

WHAT: What type of source is this: academic, popular, scholarly? What are the main messages or arguments?

WHERE: Where was the information published and where did you find it?

WHEN: Information changes pretty quickly, so it's good to keep an eye on when the article was published.

WHY: Everything is written for a reason! Was this written to inform you, educate you, elicit emotion, or sell you something?

HOW: How did the author come to their conclusions? Did they use research methods?

Fact Checking Resources

Fact Checking Links!

There are many sources available to evaluate media sources and check facts. You should always check your articles. Here are some other options:

Additional Evaluation Sources

AdFontes Media - Provides free interactive media bias chart and some additional resources regarding resource reliability and political bias. Also view individual news source ratings.
Media Bias Fact Check - Independent website that rates the bias, factual accuracy, and credibility of media sources. Search by source title for individual news source ratings.
The Factual - The Factual is an algorithm that rates 10,000+ news articles daily for how informative they are. One product they produce is the IsThisCredible website.

Remember: There is no one magical tool for news evaluation. Think critically to find what works best for your intended use of the information, considering the reliability, bias, credibility and accuracy of the information.

Perspectives

Opposing Viewpoints in Context This link opens in a new window
Contains thousands of full-text articles from authoritative sources including pro/con viewpoints, topic overviews, court case overviews, issues. Media includes images, charts, videos, podcasts and streaming audio. Peer reviewed journals also available.

Antiracism Collection
A collection of wide variety of resources representing various perspectives on the antiracism movement in the Opposing Viewpoints in Context database.
Black Lives Matter Collection
A collection of wide variety of resources representing various perspectives on the Black Lives Matter movement in the Opposing Viewpoints in Context database.

U.S. Major Dailies (ProQuest) This link opens in a new window
U.S. Major Dailies provides access to the five most respected U.S. national and regional newspapers, including The New York Times and Washington Post, co-exclusive access to The Wall Street Journal, and exclusive access to Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune. The titles offer researchers thorough and timely coverage of local, regional, and world events with journalistic balance and perspective. The content is available by 8am each day and provides archives stretching as far back as 1985. (Expires 6/30/24)

Fact Checking Resources

Citation: Generation Z Peak [@generationzpeak}. (2020, Feb 2). Fun fact: You can avoid fake news by using these fact checking websites! #tiktokskwela #learnontiktok #edutokph# informationliteracy#f akenews [Video]. TikTok. https://bit.ly/3AM5dSH