Finding reliable information on the Internet

Most of the information we get these days is from the Internet and social media. While this makes information more accessible, it can also make it a lot harder to figure out what is factual and what’s not. This is especially true in situations like the COVID-19 pandemic and ongoing politics and news updates. When you have information being shared on social media, it can be overwhelming to not only process it, but figure out where it’s coming from.

It’s important for all of us to have the tools to figure out if what we’re reading is true, and how to weed out misinformation.

What is misinformation?

You might have heard people say things like ‘fake news’, when what they really mean is that something isn’t true. That’s what misinformation is: something that isn’t true but has been shared [1]. This happens a lot on social media. 

For example

Pam sees that her sister has shared an article on Facebook talking about a current event. Because her sister shared it, she decides to share it too. Unfortunately, this article has false information in it. Pam didn’t mean to share misinformation: she just shared something from someone she trusts (her sister).

It’s pretty easy to see how misinformation spreads. Most of the time we trust the people who are sharing the information, but don’t take the time to look at the source or confirm the facts. However, in order to stop the spread of misinformation and get reliable information for ourselves, we all need to think more critically about what we are reading on the Internet.

You can use the following tips to figure out how to access reliable and safe information, and avoid spreading misinformation.

Look for sources and citations

When looking at information on the Internet, there should be sources for where that information is coming from. This can look different depending on the type of information.

On our website, we use links (like the one for the Canadian Museum for Human rights article above) or a citation list (which you can find at the bottom of the page). When we cite a source, we put a number in brackets after the stated fact so you can easily see where we’re getting that information from.

For example

Misinformation is false information that is being shared but isn’t necessarily meant to cause any harm [1].

That [1] corresponds to this article, listed below in our source section, which is where we got the definition from. When you look at the other sources for this page, they are from the Government of Canada and the Mayo Clinic, which is a non-profit medical group that is well-known for its reliable reputation. We also ask medical and research experts to review the content we publish on our website to make sure everything is evidence-based.

Information may also be confirmed based on recorded statements. In news articles particularly, they will report using quotes from people. 

For example

Mayor Smith said, “the city will spend approximately 10% of the road repair budget on the two kilometre stretch of road between A and B”.

This is an example of a direct quote, and it is reasonable to take this statement as a fact. Now in this example, the fact (spending 10% of the budget) could change if the project runs into problems. But if that’s the case, that will be reported on too.

If you find information on social media, double check it

Many websites use sources, citations, and first-hand accounts from people in their articles and web pages. But what about social media posts?

A lot of us find our news and information on social media these days. This can include:

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • Threads
  • LinkedIn
  • TikTok

These are just a few examples of social media platforms. You may see posts, pictures, or videos sharing information, and it often doesn’t come with a list of sources. You might not even know where the information came from in the first place!

Sharing without checking the information contributes to misinformation

Unfortunately you may think you are helping by sharing a post. But you may also be spreading misinformation. During the COVID-19 pandemic, 90% of Canadians used online sources for information about COVID-19. 96% of those Canadians suspected they were seeing misinformation (false, inaccurate, and/or misleading). Yet only 20% of people regularly checked their sources, and most people used or shared the information without knowing if it was right [3].

See that [3]? That corresponds to a Government of Canada page, where we got those statistics from. You can easily check those numbers at the link in the source list below.

The pandemic is an example of how misinformation can be harmful, as many people choose to take what they read at face value. Social media posts in particular can cause you to have a strong emotional response, which may make you more likely to trust the information. But it’s important to check that information, even if it looks right. When reading something on social media, ask yourself the following questions[4] [5]:

  • Where is this information coming from?
  • Is it trying to get me to click on a link?
  • Is it making statements or claims that seem too good to be true?
  • Can I find a reputable source that I trust that matches this information?
  • Have I read the whole article or post, or did I just read the title/picture?
  • Are there spelling errors in the information? This can mean the information is incorrect

You can follow the social media profiles of organizations and/or sources you trust, which may make it easier for you to find reliable information on your social media.

Here are a few ways to check the information in a social post:

Ask where the information came from

If Pam’s sister shares a piece of information about Parliament and Pam isn’t sure where it came from, she can leave a comment and ask her sister: “what’s the source for this so I can learn more?” This is a judgement-free way of asking for the source.

Use Internet search browsers to confirm the information

If Pam’s sister has shared a piece of information about Parliament but isn’t sure where it came from (or maybe Pam doesn’t want to ask), Pam can use the Internet to find some additional sources.

Using a real article, let’s say Pam’s sister shares that a Member of Parliament (MP) is getting a new diplomatic job and resigning as MP, but no links to articles or sources for the information. Pam wants to make sure it’s true. She searches for ‘MP gets diplomatic job, resigns from Parliament’ on her Internet browser. She finds a CBC article about this information. CBC is a news source that Pam knows is trustworthy, and she confirms that what her sister said was true.

Check the URL

While sources and citations (notes explaining where information came from) are helpful, it’s also important to make sure those sources have a good reputation and are from a safe, factual source. One of the ways to do this is to check the URL of the article/website.

The URL is the same as a web address. For example, our URL/web address is https://braininjurycanada.ca. It also has a little lock next to it. The https and the little lock mean that it is safe and secure for you to visit the website.

When looking at websites for information, you can look at the web address to learn more about whether the source is a trust-worthy one. Website addresses are normally the names of organizations, businesses, or publications, and have text in them that explain what you will find on the page. For example, https://braininjurycanada.ca/en/traumatic-brain-injury/ is a page on traumatic brain injury. We include citations telling you where our information is coming from and how you can see that information yourself.

The way websites end can also tell you a lot about them [2]:

  • .ca is a Canadian website
  • .com is one of the most common endings for website addresses
  • .org is mostly used by non-profits
  • .edu is sometimes used by universities and colleges
  • .gov is sometimes used by governments

Ask some key questions about what you’re reading

So far we’ve talked about ways to identify safe, reliable information. But the truth is that a website can have this information, appear to be reliable, but still not be accurate. Here are some additional questions to ask when reading things online:

  • Where is this information coming from?
  • Are they trying to sell me something or get me to click on a link?
  • Have I read the whole article or post, or did I just read the title/picture?
  • Are there spelling errors in the information? This can mean the information is incorrect.
  • Are other reputable sites sharing the same information? Can I find this on websites that I use and trust already?
  • Is it making statements or claims that seem too good to be true?
  • Does it have sources that are also reliable?

Have a couple sources bookmarked that you can always rely on

Websites like ours are meant to be a reliable source of information that people can come back to again and again to find information and to check their facts. While you may learn information from a wide variety of places, having a couple online sources that you have confidence in makes it easier for you to check facts and to find information you can trust.

Let’s use COVID-19 vaccines as the example here. A few websites you can start with include:

You can also use your province/territory’s health authority website for the most up-to-date information.

Resources

[1] Canadian Museum for Human Rights, “Misinformation, Disinformation and Malinformation”, no date

[2] Michigan State University, “Finding accurate information on the Internet“, 2013

[3] Statistics Canada, “Misinformation during the COVID-19 pandemic“, 2021

[4] Canadian Centre for Cyber Security, “How to identify misinformation, disinformation, and malinformation“, 2022

[5] Ottawa Public Health, “Scams and Misinformation“, 2023