How to tell good information from noise.
Advice is only as good as the information behind it. A few habits make it much easier to judge what you read, watch and share, whether it comes from a website, a video or a group chat.
Five quick checks
Use these before you rely on or share something.
Who made it?
Look for a named author or organization, and ask what they gain if you believe it.
When?
Find the date it was posted or updated. Old information can be wrong today.
What is the evidence?
Look for sources you can open yourself.
Who else says so?
Check whether independent sources agree.
How does it make you feel?
Content designed to make you angry or rushed deserves extra care.
Read sideways, not down
Instead of reading a page from top to bottom to decide whether to trust it, open a new tab and search for the site or author. What others say about a source is often more revealing than what it says about itself. Professional fact-checkers call this lateral reading.
Prefer primary sources
Summaries drop the details that matter. Go to the original when you can.
| Topic | Primary source |
|---|---|
| A study | The research paper itself, not a headline about it. |
| A law or rule | The official text from the government site. |
| A product | The maker's manual and specifications. |
| Statistics | The agency or organization that collected the data. |
Warning signs
None of these proves something is false, but each is a reason to check.
- No author, no date and no sources
- A headline that the article does not support
- Pressure to share or act right away
- Images with no source, or that appear elsewhere with a different story
- Claims that only one source is reporting
Keep a short list
For each topic you care about, keep a few sources you have learned to trust, and start there next time. Revisit the list now and then; good sources can change, too.
Common types of sources
Different sources are good at different things.
| Source | Good for | Watch for |
|---|---|---|
| Official agency page | Rules, forms, deadlines. | Outdated pages; check the update date. |
| News report | What happened and when. | Headlines that go further than the story. |
| Encyclopedia or reference | Background and definitions. | Summaries that skip the details. |
| Forum or social post | Personal experience. | One person's case presented as the rule. |
| Advertisement | What a seller offers. | It is designed to persuade, not inform. |
Questions worth asking
Short answers on checking what you read.
How many sources are enough?
For everyday decisions, two independent sources that agree are a good start. For health, money or legal questions, go to the primary source or a qualified professional.
What does 'independent' mean here?
That the sources did not copy each other. Two websites repeating the same press release count as one source.
Is an older article always wrong?
No, but it may be out of date. Look for a more recent source on the same question before acting on it.
What if specialists disagree?
Look at what each side's evidence is, not just who they are. Real disagreement is a sign to slow down, not to pick the loudest voice.