Junior Research Paper

Lateral Reading

Any of these elements might prompt you to open a tab and read laterally. Remember, lateral reading will increase your knowledge of the subject and help you consume news more critically.

1. A source you’ve never heard of (ex, website, news, person, organization)

2. An author, expert, or public figure you are not familiar with.

• a professor from a college or university -- what’s their expertise, reputation?

• a representative from an organization  -- what’s their reputation?

3. Statistics, charts, graphs

• does the data support the writer’s argument?

• how was data collected? Which organization supplied it and are they reputable? Did the data come from a authoratative source? 

• what time period does data cover and is it appropriate?

4. Graphics

• are sources provided for images and graphics? If need be, could you find and examine the original image?

• do they provide additional, accurate and helpful information or are they decorative/manipulative?

5. Facts and background information

• are they accurate and do they conform to generally-held knowledge?

• have there been corrections and updates to the original source?

• look at the comments -- do they point out incorrect information, inconsistencies, more sources for you to investigate?