Have you ever heard the saying, "Don't believe everything you hear?" The same is true when you're reading an informational text, DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU READ.

While most informational texts are true, some informational texts contain made-up facts and other information. Before you believe everything a text has to say, you want to make sure it is CREDIBLE.

Credible means able to be believed. Something that is credible is believable.

When you're reading an informational text, whether it is in the form of a book, an article from a newspaper or magazine, or a website, you want to make sure that what you're reading is credible.  

To find out if something is credible, you can ask the following questions:

Particularly in the world of science, facts and details change over time. Books that were published earlier in history may not contain up-to-date information. 

For example, if you're reading a book about the planets that was published before 2006, it will likely include an entire section about Pluto because Pluto was not demoted to a dwarf planet until that year.

For some topics, it does not matter how current a book is. A book about World War II that was written in 1995 may be as credible as a book about World War II that was written in 2015. However, a book about Barack Obama that was written in 2000 is not going to be as credible as a book about Barack Obama that was written in 2015.

Virtually anyone can publish a book, write an article, or create a website. When you're looking a text, you want to see who the author is and determine whether the author is an expert on the subject. If the author is not an expert, than it is likely that the text is not credible.

For example, a research paper about weather patterns written by a high school student is not a credible source. However, a research paper about weather patterns written by a professor of meteorology is a credible source.

You must ask yourself - Who is the author? What is the author's relationship to the topic?

The goal or purpose of a text is the reason the text was written and is important in determining whether a text is credible. Texts that were written to inform are more likely to be credible than texts that were written to persuade or entertain. Texts that are full of opinions or are designed to be entertaining are more likely to embellish or put a spin on the information rather than simply giving you the facts.

The sources an author used to write a text also help determine whether it is credible.

For example, if an author is writing a biography of a celebrity and cites a tabloid newspaper as a source, then the biography is not very credible. However, if the author cites an interview with the celebrity as a source, it is credible.

 

By the same token, if an author is writing a book about dogs and cites "allaboutdogs .com" as a source, the book is probably not credible. However, if the author cites the American Kennel Association as a source, the book is probably credible.

If an author does not cite any sources, you will use the other questions to determine whether the text is credible.

Whenever you read, chances are you are going to learn something new. However, if you're reading about a topic you're familiar with, a lot of what you read should match up with what you already know.

For example, if you're reading a book about cats and the author says that cats do not like to sleep in boxes, you would know that the book is not credible because that fact does not match up with what you know to be true.

However, if you're reading a book about cats and the author says that even though cats like milk, it is not good for their digestive system, then you know that is probably a credible source.

If you're reading a piece of fiction, it doesn't matter whether what you're reading is true. However, when you're reading an informational text, you're typically reading to gain information. You might use that information to write a paper or you might just file it away in your head for later. Whatever the case, you want to be sure that what you're putting in your mind is true information.