Think Smart, Surf Smart
Empowering students in research, tech, media, & Ethics
Where do you get your info?
-Google -Tik Tok -Instagram or Facebook -X or Twitter -TV -Youtube
How common is misinformation?
-Widespread exposure: According to a 2019 Ipsos survey conducted across 25 countries, 86% of online global citizens reported being exposed to fake news. Of those, nearly 9 in 10 believed it was real at least once -High concern: A 2023 global survey by Ipsos and UNESCO found that 85% of respondents worry about the influence of online disinformation. In the same survey, 68% of people said social media was where fake news was most prevalent.
What can we do?
1. Investigate the source: Go beyond the immediate post to research the organization or author behind the claim. Check their "About Us" page and look for their history of accuracy. If they are a news outlet, use a media bias chart to understand their general political leanings. 2.Use lateral reading: Instead of just staying on one page, open new tabs to see what other sources say about the same topic. Compare how different reputable outlets cover the same story to get a more complete picture. 3.Check the evidence: Verify if factual claims are supported by evidence, research, or data. Be skeptical of anonymous sources and look for documentation from original sources. 4. Recognize manipulation tactics: Misinformation often uses emotional, sensational, or misleading language to provoke strong reactions and bypass critical thought. Be cautious if a headline or post makes you feel angry, fearful, or overly excited. 5. Look beyond the headline: Misinformation frequently relies on catchy or clickbait headlines. Read the full story to ensure the headline accurately represents the content.
Level up your reserch game
Effective Strategies: -Use an academic database to do your search -Use Boolean operators -words like AND, OR, and NOT that connect keywords in searches to narrow or broaden the results. They help create more precise searches by defining the relationship between terms; for example, AND narrows results to only those containing all terms, OR broadens results to include any of the terms, and NOT excludes a specific term.
More search strategies
Be specific: Focus on the unique and key concepts of your topic, avoiding common words. Brainstorm synonyms: Think of different words authors might use to describe the same idea (e.g., "smartphones" and "cellphones"). Check search results: Look at the subject terms or descriptors in relevant articles to find new keywords. Phrase searching: Use quotation marks to search for an exact, multi-word phrase (e.g., "climate change"). Truncation: Use a symbol like an asterisk (*) to find different word endings (e.g., therap* finds therapy, therapies, therapist). Wildcards: Use a wildcard symbol (often ? or #) to find variations in spelling or a single character (e.g., behavio?r finds behavior and behaviour).
Google vS. Database Searches
Great databases to use
-Explora -Google Scholar -JSTOR -EBSCO -ProQuest -Britannica -History Reference Source -Science Reference Center
Scavenger Hunt
-Get into groups of 2 or 3 Use ACADEMIC Databases: (Google Scholar, JSTOR, EBSCO) to answer these 3 questions: 1. What is the difference between misinformation and disinformation, and why does it matter? Bonus: Find one real-world example of each from a credible news source. 2. Find a credible study or article that explains how social media affects teen mental health.Who conducted the study or wrote the article?What are the key findings? 3. Is it legal to use copyrighted images from the internet in a school project? Find a .gov or .edu source that explains Fair Use or Creative Commons. Summarize the rule in your own words.
wrap-up
-Each group share your answers to the scavenger hunt Which sources did you find easiest to use? What made a source seem trustworthy (or not)? Did anything surprise you about the answers you found?
Think Smart, Surf Smart
Morgan Cooper
Created on October 14, 2025
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Transcript
Think Smart, Surf Smart
Empowering students in research, tech, media, & Ethics
Where do you get your info?
-Google -Tik Tok -Instagram or Facebook -X or Twitter -TV -Youtube
How common is misinformation?
-Widespread exposure: According to a 2019 Ipsos survey conducted across 25 countries, 86% of online global citizens reported being exposed to fake news. Of those, nearly 9 in 10 believed it was real at least once -High concern: A 2023 global survey by Ipsos and UNESCO found that 85% of respondents worry about the influence of online disinformation. In the same survey, 68% of people said social media was where fake news was most prevalent.
What can we do?
1. Investigate the source: Go beyond the immediate post to research the organization or author behind the claim. Check their "About Us" page and look for their history of accuracy. If they are a news outlet, use a media bias chart to understand their general political leanings. 2.Use lateral reading: Instead of just staying on one page, open new tabs to see what other sources say about the same topic. Compare how different reputable outlets cover the same story to get a more complete picture. 3.Check the evidence: Verify if factual claims are supported by evidence, research, or data. Be skeptical of anonymous sources and look for documentation from original sources. 4. Recognize manipulation tactics: Misinformation often uses emotional, sensational, or misleading language to provoke strong reactions and bypass critical thought. Be cautious if a headline or post makes you feel angry, fearful, or overly excited. 5. Look beyond the headline: Misinformation frequently relies on catchy or clickbait headlines. Read the full story to ensure the headline accurately represents the content.
Level up your reserch game
Effective Strategies: -Use an academic database to do your search -Use Boolean operators -words like AND, OR, and NOT that connect keywords in searches to narrow or broaden the results. They help create more precise searches by defining the relationship between terms; for example, AND narrows results to only those containing all terms, OR broadens results to include any of the terms, and NOT excludes a specific term.
More search strategies
Be specific: Focus on the unique and key concepts of your topic, avoiding common words. Brainstorm synonyms: Think of different words authors might use to describe the same idea (e.g., "smartphones" and "cellphones"). Check search results: Look at the subject terms or descriptors in relevant articles to find new keywords. Phrase searching: Use quotation marks to search for an exact, multi-word phrase (e.g., "climate change"). Truncation: Use a symbol like an asterisk (*) to find different word endings (e.g., therap* finds therapy, therapies, therapist). Wildcards: Use a wildcard symbol (often ? or #) to find variations in spelling or a single character (e.g., behavio?r finds behavior and behaviour).
Google vS. Database Searches
Great databases to use
-Explora -Google Scholar -JSTOR -EBSCO -ProQuest -Britannica -History Reference Source -Science Reference Center
Scavenger Hunt
-Get into groups of 2 or 3 Use ACADEMIC Databases: (Google Scholar, JSTOR, EBSCO) to answer these 3 questions: 1. What is the difference between misinformation and disinformation, and why does it matter? Bonus: Find one real-world example of each from a credible news source. 2. Find a credible study or article that explains how social media affects teen mental health.Who conducted the study or wrote the article?What are the key findings? 3. Is it legal to use copyrighted images from the internet in a school project? Find a .gov or .edu source that explains Fair Use or Creative Commons. Summarize the rule in your own words.
wrap-up
-Each group share your answers to the scavenger hunt Which sources did you find easiest to use? What made a source seem trustworthy (or not)? Did anything surprise you about the answers you found?