COM 100

**Video by IRSC Libraries (creative commons license)

RADAR (Rationale, Authority, Date, Accuracy, Relevance) is a framework that can help you remember what kinds of questions you should be asking about an information source as you evaluate it for quality and usefulness in your research. 

Radar method can help you evaluate sources of information. But this is only part of the solution to separating truth from fiction in the information we encounter. Better information habits are required of us. Until we apply skepticism and critical thought to the information that aligns with our world views just as we would for information that challenges us, we set ourselves up to be fooled by fake news. Until we expand our information bubbles to include more perspectives and coverage from a more diverse community of scholars and reporters, we limit what we can know and learn about our world.

Being a critical consumer of information is helpful not only in school, but also in our daily lives. Just as we need the information in our college research projects to be based on reliable, quality sources, we also want the health advice, product reviews, and other kinds of information we personally use to be reliable.