How to Evaluate Information Objectively

Between health information to product reviews to political polls, conflicting information and misinformation abounds. This is not limited to the Internet, but you are more likely to see it there. Follow these tips to help you evaluate information objectively and better aid in your decision-making.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

1. Identify the source of the information and examine if it is the original or a copy, the latter which may be paraphrased or prone to error. Also note if the source is a professional, an individual or a business. While you may not know much about a source, credible information usually identifies the author.

2. Consider the source's qualifications and reputation only as a reference guide to the likelihood that the information is accurate. Reliable sources carry credibility but are not without error or even bias. Compare and contrast information from a second or third source, if necessary, including the methods used to obtain the facts if possible.

3. Look at the advertising to better evaluate information objectively. If the website sells the product or a related service, the information presented may be faulty, if it is not an outright marketing ploy. Note that advertising pays the bills for legitimate information sources as well, so discernment is necessary. Look for omissions as much as errors when it pertains to consumer goods. For example, a product may receive high, well-deserved praises, but the fact is that a less expensive item performs equally well.

4. Stay aware of potential financial motives. In addition to advertising, other bias may exist that is less obvious. For example, an unknown illness outbreak may be minimized in a town as it hurts real estate values or tourism. When you seek a second opinion ensure that the two entities are not connected financially. Remain cognizant of potential money trails tied to what you read, be it fund raising, tourism or stockbrokers. Healthy skepticism is not the same as conspiratorial thinking.

5. Ascertain the difference between opinion and fact. Evaluate news and information objectively by identifying qualifiers such as adjectives and adverbs. If someone writes, “This is a fast computer,” it is a subjective statement, whereas a factual description of it's components or benchmarks is objective.

6. Think like a reporter and do not confuse good writing with good information. Whether it is the media or a clinical study, it is easy to be impressed with fancy words and facts and figures. Facts can be misrepresented, incomplete or taken out of context. Journalists are taught to ask the five “W's”: Who, What, When, Where and Why. Additionally, sources should be followed up on when necessary.

7. Look for propaganda. There is zero difference mathematically-speaking by the terms “one in five” and “2O percent,” yet these may be used to emphasize or minimize statistics. Often qualifiers are added. For example, "While only 20 percent of voters agree with plan A, as many as one in four local residents support plan B." The mathematical difference is only five percent or less, but plan B sounds more positive. Another example, of many, is to say a certain company prefers product X, when the sales may be due to lower costs rather than a better product.

Tips & Warnings

• Commerce does not corrupt information, but some people are corrupted by commerce--following the money trail may help you evaluate information more objectively.

• Take a course or read a book on critical thinking to improve your skills even more.