Source Criticism: How to Evaluate Information – Including Information Generated by AI

Source criticism is a central part of all major written assignments. Whether you are enrolled in upper secondary education or a professional higher education programme, it is essential that you are able to assess where information comes from, how it has been produced, and how suitable it is in an academic context. Source criticism helps you work independently and critically with knowledge.

What should you pay attention to?

When evaluating a source, the following five questions can help you determine its quality and relevance:

• Who is behind it? Is the source produced by a professional, an institution, an organisation, or an anonymous actor? Example: A research article and a personal blog post have different levels of credibility.

• What is the purpose? Is the source intended to inform, persuade, sell, or entertain? Example: An advertisement highlights the advantages of a product, but not necessarily its limitations.

• What is the source based on? Does it refer to data, research, case studies, or experience? Example: A source that documents its claims is generally more reliable than one that does not.

• How current is the content? Is the information up to date in relation to your topic? Example: Information about health, technology, and politics changes rapidly and requires current documentation.

• How does the source relate to other sources? Does it support or challenge other academic literature? Example: If several independent sources point in the same direction, this strengthens the knowledge base.

Digital source criticism and misinformation

Digital sources – such as news, blogs, articles, and social media posts – vary greatly in quality. Here, credibility is closely linked to the sender, method, and context.

It can therefore be useful to:

• check the web address and the source behind the content
• look for documentation and references
• be aware of sensational or emotionally charged presentations
• investigate whether other media outlets report the same information
• consider how algorithms influence the content you are presented with

Source criticism and AI

AI-generated texts can support idea development, structuring, or provide quick overviews. However, they do not function as academic sources and should never be used as documentation in academic assignments.

This is because:

• AI generates text based on language patterns – not verified knowledge
• AI may produce incorrect or non-existent information
• AI cannot document its content with verifiable sources
• AI should not be included in bibliographies, but may be mentioned as a tool in the methodology section

How to apply source criticism in practice

Source criticism concerns both academic quality and your ability to make well-founded choices during the assignment process. You strengthen your work by:

• using several different types of sources
• comparing information across sources
• assessing relevance in relation to your academic question or research problem

Recommended links – upper secondary education

(All in Danish)

• Source criticism: Be critical of your sources
• Separate facts from nonsense on the internet
• 6 good tips: How to spot fake news online
• Faktalink: Source criticism

Recommended links – higher education

(All in Danish)

• Source criticism: How to evaluate your sources
• Source criticism and critical source awareness
• Source criticism: What is good academic knowledge?
• Evaluating sources