From Cynicism to Trust: Strategies for Teaching Students Source Evaluation Skills
Concerns about the spread and adoption of misinformation abound, and academic librarians have played a part in trying to stem the tide through information literacy instruction. However, teaching students how to evaluate sources can be complicated—teaching fact-checking skills may be insufficient if...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Communications in Information Literacy
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Communications in Information Literacy |
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| Online Access: | https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/43761 |
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| author | Mandi Goodsett Melanie Gagich |
| author_facet | Mandi Goodsett Melanie Gagich |
| author_sort | Mandi Goodsett |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Concerns about the spread and adoption of misinformation abound, and academic librarians have played a part in trying to stem the tide through information literacy instruction. However, teaching students how to evaluate sources can be complicated—teaching fact-checking skills may be insufficient if it increases students’ overall cynicism about information ecosystems. This study explores how teaching fact-checking and lateral reading skills, along with instruction about “bias filters,” can help to reduce the cynicism of first year writing students, while also increasing their misinformation detection skills. Results are mixed, but teaching about the information creation process and “bias filters” is especially promising. The authors also recommend faculty-librarian collaborations as an effective strategy for teaching students how to evaluate sources. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-1f4f569f56b746eeb438a32efd5c9d2a |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 1933-5954 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Communications in Information Literacy |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Communications in Information Literacy |
| spelling | doaj-art-1f4f569f56b746eeb438a32efd5c9d2a2025-08-20T02:35:56ZengCommunications in Information LiteracyCommunications in Information Literacy1933-59542025-06-0119110.15760/comminfolit.2025.19.1.5From Cynicism to Trust: Strategies for Teaching Students Source Evaluation SkillsMandi Goodsett0Melanie Gagich1Cleveland State UniversityCleveland State UniversityConcerns about the spread and adoption of misinformation abound, and academic librarians have played a part in trying to stem the tide through information literacy instruction. However, teaching students how to evaluate sources can be complicated—teaching fact-checking skills may be insufficient if it increases students’ overall cynicism about information ecosystems. This study explores how teaching fact-checking and lateral reading skills, along with instruction about “bias filters,” can help to reduce the cynicism of first year writing students, while also increasing their misinformation detection skills. Results are mixed, but teaching about the information creation process and “bias filters” is especially promising. The authors also recommend faculty-librarian collaborations as an effective strategy for teaching students how to evaluate sources.https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/43761information literacycomposition studiesmisinformationsource evaluationbiashigher education |
| spellingShingle | Mandi Goodsett Melanie Gagich From Cynicism to Trust: Strategies for Teaching Students Source Evaluation Skills Communications in Information Literacy information literacy composition studies misinformation source evaluation bias higher education |
| title | From Cynicism to Trust: Strategies for Teaching Students Source Evaluation Skills |
| title_full | From Cynicism to Trust: Strategies for Teaching Students Source Evaluation Skills |
| title_fullStr | From Cynicism to Trust: Strategies for Teaching Students Source Evaluation Skills |
| title_full_unstemmed | From Cynicism to Trust: Strategies for Teaching Students Source Evaluation Skills |
| title_short | From Cynicism to Trust: Strategies for Teaching Students Source Evaluation Skills |
| title_sort | from cynicism to trust strategies for teaching students source evaluation skills |
| topic | information literacy composition studies misinformation source evaluation bias higher education |
| url | https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/43761 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT mandigoodsett fromcynicismtotruststrategiesforteachingstudentssourceevaluationskills AT melaniegagich fromcynicismtotruststrategiesforteachingstudentssourceevaluationskills |