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Table 2 Problem type, online content, and correct trust assessment for problem sets A and B

From: Improving college students’ fact-checking strategies through lateral reading instruction in a general education civics course

Problem type

Problem set

Online content

Correct trust assessment

Photographic evidence

A

Photograph on Imgur claiming to show mutated flowers near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in Japan (https://imgur.com/gallery/BZWWx)

Low (1)

Very Low (2)

B

Photograph claiming to show Japanese Beetles attached to the roof of a dog’s mouth

Moderate (3)

High (4)

Very High (5)

Sourcing evidence

A

Tweet from MoveOn.org stating that “2 out of 3 gun owners would be more likely to vote for a candidate that supported background checks” (https://twitter.com/MoveOn/status/666772893846675456?lang=en)

Low (2)

Moderate (3)

High (4)

Ba

YouTube video from the National Mining Association titled “The Importance of Advanced Coal Technologies” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vqLb0DkFOeI)

Low (2)

Moderate (3)

High (4)

Clickbait science and medical disinformation

A

Article published on BioNews titled “Majority of breast cancer patients do not need chemotherapy” (https://www.bionews.org.uk/page_136385)

Moderate (3)

High (4)

Very High (5)

B

Article from the NatureWorksBest Cancer Clinic about the “Baking Soda Cancer Treatment (Sodium Bicarbonate)” (https://natureworksbest.com/dr-tullio-simoncini-sodium-bicarbonate-cancer-treatment/)

Low (1)

Very Low (2)

Fake news

A

Article published on newser titled “School District Arms Students with Rocks” (http://www.newser.com/story/256977/school-district-arms-students-with-rocks.html)

Moderate (3)

High (4)

Very High (5)

B

Article published on Big League Politics titled “Child’s Skull Found At Alleged Sex-Trafficking Bunker Area In Tucson” (https://bigleaguepolitics.com/breaking-childs-skull-found-at-alleged-sex-trafficking-bunker-in-tucson/)

Low (1)

Very Low (2)

  1. aThe YouTube video used for the Sourcing Evidence problem in Set B at pretest was removed from YouTube after the pretest was administered. It was replaced with this video from the National Mining Association for the posttest