Verified: How to Think Straight, Get Duped Less, and Make Better Decisions about What to Believe Online

by Mike Caulfield, Sam Wineburg

An indispensable guide for telling fact from fiction on the internet—often in less than 30 seconds.

The internet brings information to our fingertips almost instantly. The result is that we often jump to thinking too fast, without taking a few moments to verify the source before engaging with a claim or viral piece of media. Information literacy expert Mike Caulfield and educational researcher Sam Wineburg are here to enable us to take a moment for due diligence with this informative, approachable guide to the internet. With this illustrated tool kit, you will learn to identify red flags, get quick context, and make better use of common websites like Google and Wikipedia that can help and hinder in equal measure.
 
This how-to guide will teach you how to use the web to verify the web, quickly and efficiently, including how to
•     Verify news stories and other events in as little as thirty seconds ( seriously )
•     Determine if the article you’re citing is by a reputable scholar or a quack
•     Detect the slippery tactics scammers use to make their sites look credible
•     Decide in a minute if that shocking video is truly shocking
•     Deduce who’s behind a site—even when its ownership is cleverly disguised
•     Uncover if that feature story is actually a piece planted by a foreign government
•     Use Wikipedia wisely to gain a foothold on new topics and leads for digging deeper

And so much more. Building on techniques like SIFT and lateral reading, Verified will help students and anyone else looking to get a handle on the internet’s endless flood of information through quick, practical, and accessible steps. 
 

Genres: Nonfiction, Education, Teaching, Reference, Self Help, Psychology, Adult

280 pages, Hardcover

Published November 17, 2023

Reviews

[Kaia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been following Mike Caulfield online and teaching his SIFT strategy for a number of years now, and, despite that, I still ended up putting a dozen sticky flags in this book highlighting new information or ideas I wanted to incorporate into my classes. This is a really great text to use with older students (high school / college) or for yourself to learn easy and reliable strategies for verifying the credibility of information, especially online. On top of that, it is written in a conversational style that is enjoyable to read. Highly recommended.

[JKD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely essential reading for anyone who reads things online (which is to say, anyone), accessibly rendered but with high-level insights.

[M.liss · Rating 4 out of 5]

framing a class around this book would be easy - a chapter a week. relevant, direct, and clearly written. these dudes share my philosophy around context being at the center of any and all moves around information, trust, and belief.

[Carrie Damon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Presents compelling suggestions on better ways to evaluate (and teach evaluation of) information sources. Quick to read and with an appreciated addendum about AI tools. Recommended!

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book if not altogether riveting. It has some great recommendations for how to be more discerning about what you read and share.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

I cannot stress how important this book is. It will impact so many aspects of your life.

[Derrick Brousseau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Written by a duo of cornballs but the actual content is good advice. Highly recommend.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I consider myself a very savvy person when it comes to navigating information online. I’ve been teaching high school English for almost 24 years, and I have master’s degrees in Classroom Technology and Library and Information Science. I love teaching research skills, especially evaluating information for credibility and bias, mostly because I’ve seen so many people I care about get sucked into misinformation and easily debunked conspiracy theories. Because I know the information landscape is constantly changing, I do my best to keep up. When I saw that Mike Caulfield and Sam Wineburg were releasing a book, I knew I had to have it immediately, because I’ve used their work with my students and when preparing professional development for my colleagues.

I’m familiar with Caulfield’s SIFT method, and Verified provides many examples of how to use it in different contexts. As a longtime fan of the CRAAP test, I appreciated learning why checklists don’t hold up, and why the SIFT method is a faster and more reliable alternative. I may be most grateful for the chapter on Wikipedia because so many of my students and colleagues are not aware of how far it has come or what a valuable tool it can be. As I was reading, I kept marking pages with ideas that could be turned into activities for students (and possibly colleagues), and I see myself sitting with this book as I revise and update my research lessons. I learned a lot from the chapter on advertising because I found out that there’s so much I didn’t know about online advertising, especially native advertising. Caulfield and Wineburg also address AI in the postscript and explain how the SIFT method holds up in the face of AI generated disinformation.

This book is extremely accessible and would be valuable for anyone who wants to be smarter in how they approach the information they encounter online. For those of us who teach research, it’s a must read.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The main premise seems to be that we can no longer rely on instincts alone to tell us whether something is true or not, or even if something is real or not. So instead of wasting time going down rabbit holes of truth, bias, perspective, or distortion, we first need to quickly verify that the source isn’t a hoax, troll, deliberately misleading industry front, photoshopped image, or conspiracy theory. Only after that can we begin to question if the information presented is “reliable.”

The fact that this book doesn’t really dig any deeper into analyzing sources once you’ve determined it is “real” (i.e a photograph can still be manipulative even if it isn’t Photoshopped), paired with the very conversational tone makes it seem more useful for personal use rather than a guide for educators, at least in the Humanities where there is more nuance in what makes a source “real”. I did teach one class on policy making, and I was able to incorporate more of the SIFT method in a social sciences context, and I have colleagues in the health sciences who also read this book and found it much more useful for their students.

That being said, the examples are very useful- shortly after reading this book, I was talking to my students about source reliability, and when I asked how they know if a source is reliable one of them mentioned the prestige of the source- specifically citing something like The New York Times. This allowed me to bring up the Netflix sponsorship that Caulfield and Wineberg bring up, and the students were shocked- they all immediately started searching on their own for similar examples and it was all they wanted to talk about for the rest of class.

[Sydney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so glad that I stumbled across this book! So many sources of "news" are available and shared online now that it is becoming increasingly difficult to assume if the information provided is accurate or even current. This book provides great framework for navigating all of the information that can be found or shared online. It is shockingly easy to stumble across and not recognize information or data that could be inaccurate or misleading, whether the motives be intentional or not. The authors of this book have covered most everything we need to know and be aware of from how your internet searches may be unintentionally providing you with biased results and how to do better, how to look for evidence to support whether a website, "expert" and/or their claims are accurate or true representations, what to look for when vetting sources or so-called experts, what stealth advertising is (this one was a major eye opener for me) and other important things to be aware of or at least contemplate while scrolling or accepting info that has been shared with you from friends. The methods they suggest using to help you be better informed and be duped less are easy to implement, no matter your background. This book is well written and filled with great examples along with some much appreciated humor. Most importantly, it is relevant and well worth your time!

[Yannick Vetter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good quick read. Describing a simple, but not always easy, way to search for context by using the internets inherent capabilities as a web of content. Something I appreciate and my biggest takeaway is to view content in this light. Compared to traditional media like television or books(which are slightly more reliable) we can’t approach the internet in the same way. We have to see the bigger picture and the context of not just the article but the author and ourselves. I would recommend this book to any one that finds themselves constantly believing either false news or highly exaggerated news. But my favorite thing I learned was that the increase in information(the internet) means a decrease in our attention. Something I will be more aware of and try to pay attention to things that matter to me. Both on the internet and in the real world. After all our attention creates the world we live in.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A necessary and extremely organized walkthrough of online information. What I love about the chapters is in addition to inserts of actual websites, Tweets, and search engine results to contextualize their delivery, there are plenty of subheadings in the chapters to focus on the topic, and THEN, it includes takeaways at the end of each chapter to reiterate the importance of what they shared.

For a school librarian, there are plenty of takeaways, ways to frame making "better decisions about what we believe online", but also as a general consumer of information as well-- I don't have to be a librarian to start to better understand what I'm consuming, why, how to fight mis- and dis-information, plus not perpetuate it online when information comes at us fast and furious.

Took plenty of notes on this one and want to have a copy in our library as well.

[Serge · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are considering this book as a possible summer reading option. I am planning to use it this spring with World Humanities sophomores as we pilot Google Bard and encourage our stidents to use the SIFT method to build context as they read for understanding and write arguments. The book offers a wealth of examples where using the web to counter the dark arts of the web makes sense. I also enjoyed the thoughful discussion of corrosive distrust (trust compression) which weakens institutional knowledge. The final chapter on attention resonated as it appears that the current knowledge economy places too little value on thoughtful consideration. Bad actors count on our predilection for fast thinking.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Verified is a very relevant and helpful read to any of us who are so frustrated by the false or deceptive information that is so prevalent in the news and social media.

Verified gave straightforward and practical tips for evaluating the information we come across online.

In a nutshell, the author suggests that readers use the SIFT method when evaluating new information:

S - Stop
I - Investigate the source
F - Find other coverage
T - Trace the claim, quote, or media to the original context

After reading this book, instead of feeling frustrated, I feel empowered to SIFT through information to better understand what is going on in the world.

[Luciano Elementi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book's content is nothing surprising, just close to common sense that as the saying goes is not so common. The author simplifies in steps the traps and walkaround with clarity, examples, and case studies. A 4+ grader must learn this nowadays: more important than facts recital. I enjoyed discovering what is out there and how it infects our society. Yes, these things I probably knew before, but I discovered them as anew. Cheap signals, credibility test, trust compression...
Highly recommended read for us all, and thank you for teaching us

[Paul Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book planning to give it to my father after I read it myself. My father is one of those who believes any news that supports his pre-existing opinions and therefore needs a healthy dose of what this book promised. Unfortunately, because virtually every example cited in this book attacks his side of the political aisle, I'm not going to bother giving it to him since he'll cast it aside as horribly biased.

This book would be a lot more effective in promoting its goal had the examples chosen represented a range of political views .

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this for work (I work at a university library and am involved in AI literacy initiatives and we use materials from Caulfield, and a colleague recommended I read his book for background). It gives a lot of valuable and easy-to-use tips on internet fact-checking. The book is two years old, old enough that AI / LLMs are only discussed in an epilogue, but that epilogue gives a good summary, the rest of the information is definitely still applicable, and I can say that Caulfield’s subsequent work on AI checking (which I follow on his Substack) is great.

[Susannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really good example of an effective textbook, and it’s the kind of textbook that can be applied to many disciplines—maybe all—because it teaches you how to efficiently figure out what’s real and what’s not on the web. Nearly every page includes examples so that you’re never simply told what to do or try—you experience how to do it. And it’s all very easy to understand.

If you’re a teacher, you should read this, and if your students are 12 and up, you might realize you want to teach it as well.

[Jerry Wall]

Subtitle is about what to believe online and get duped less and it does this in detail with charts and diagrams talking you through an event, its bastardization or misuse and how to keep you thoughts straight.
Several fairly current examples, like selection misrepresentations, statements with the wrong emphasis applied, etc. along with ways to verify (magic word) the episode to keep it being seen truthfully and not bent or slanted to sell a product or a candidate.

[W.H. Beck · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I liked best about this book is that it took so many of the things we school librarians try to teach about evaluating information - lateral reading, how Google searches work, scholarly sources, why CRAAP testing and other checklists are no longer effective, click restraint, video manipulation, sponsored content, etc. - in one concise place without a lot of librarian jargon and with lots of examples. I took lots of notes and will be sharing.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for undergrads. Can be summed up as "have you googled it?" with varying degrees of detail. Uses what they call the SILT method: Stop, Investigate source, Find other coverage, Trace claim to original. If the acronym is difficult to remember, it's because the verbs are a little bulky, but I do like the principles and the postscript on AI-generated information.

[Lesli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book on misinformation and media literacy I have read to date. The author gives very specific, non-political examples that walk you through what the chapter is about. I think this is a must-read for everyone. And it is so interesting. The voice is entertaining and not dry at all.

[Cristina Figueras · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book provides media literacy experts with a valuable foundation to inform and enhance their practice. As both a teacher and educational director of a fact-checking organization, I deeply appreciate the dedication Mike and Sam have invested in creating such an essential resource. I sincerely hope they continue this important work as the information landscape continues to evolve.

[Tyler Graham · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic guide to information/media/news literacy, chock-full of effective explanations, examples, and strategies to navigate the internet more critically. Highly recommend, especially for librarians and educators - I look forward to incorporating much of this content in the classes I teach about Misinformation/Disinformation!

[George Petrellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came to this book, as a researcher who advocates a balanced narrative in the role of animals in biomedical research.
Having experience from trying to debunk myths or news of the sort: "95% of animal research doesn't lead to ne medicines for humans so it's unreliable" I was impressed to see that fake news and propaganda follow the same strategies regardless of the field. Sensationalism, taking statements our of context and giving them their own spin, inaccuracy where it matters -this is what I have been seeing, and after reading the book, I know it's everywhere.
It was very helpful in understanding how to detect misinformation, both unintentional and intentional, and which strategies to employ to better debunk it.

[Brittany Maloy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book has some great strategies for online source evaluation. It’s also really accessible.
The book is a little biased and a little over the top emotional in tone—screaming at me to feel a certain way. I would have liked a more matter-of-fact tone.

[Amy Finley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes it is really hard to understand to what degree the sources you’re seeing are legitimate. Verified offers some pretty clear, tangible advice on how to best gather, use, and trust information from the web. Very easy to read with relevant examples.

[Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quick impressions: This book is essential for all libraries. Librarians who have not ready it need to read it and then promote it to their patrons.

(A full detailed review with additional reading notes available on my blog soon.)

[PRJ Greenwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book certainly achieved what it promised. This is a superb guide on how not to be done in by the wiles of liars, PR firms, governments, the gullible, the effusive and anyone else that provides the internet information version of a wolf in sheep's clothing.

[Lady Brainsample · Rating 4 out of 5]

The people who need to read this now won't, but I'll definitely have my kids read it when they get older. There's a lot of great content in here, but if you've been an *Online Millennial* for years like I have been, it might be just good reminders instead of ground-breaking advice.