Lateral Reading

Explicitly decide on the source's reliability

REFLECT and DECIDE

06

After gathering external information, return to the original source and evaluate its content in light of what you've learned.

Return to the original source

05

Search for reviews, fact-checks, or analyses of the source from reputable organizations or fact-checking websites.

Evaluate FOR authority and purpose

04

Search for reviews, fact-checks, or analyses of the source from reputable organizations or fact-checking websites.

Find what others say about the source

03

Open new browser tabs and search for information about the source itself, rather than continuing to read the original content.

Leave the site

02

Before diving into the content, pause and note the website or source you're examining.

This initial step prevents you from getting caught up in potentially misleading information and allows you to approach the source critically.

stop and identify the source

01

LATERAL READING

This initial step prevents you from getting caught up in potentially misleading information and allows you to approach the source critically.

This helps you avoid being swayed by the source's self-presentation and allows you to gather external perspectives on its credibility.

This provides a broader context and helps you understand the source's reputation and reliability in the wider information landscape.

Look for information about the author(s), their credentials, the organization behind the site, and its funding sources.

This step enhances your critical thinking skills by encouraging you to synthesize multiple perspectives and apply your newfound context to the original content.

By adding this final reflective step, you will complete the critical thinking loop, ensuring that your lateral reading efforts translate into actionable insights.

When you encounter an unfamiliar website:

• Open a new browser tab
• Go to several credible newsources and other references to better understand if the website is credible.
• Reflect and decide

Lateral reading is a skill used by professional fact-checkers to jump outside a source and use new browser tabs to seek additional information about a source's credibility, reputation, funding sources and biases.

How you *should* be evaluting websites