Main Contents Page

Before you start

STEP 1: STARTING OUT

STEP 2: FINDING

STEP 3: EVALUATE

- Fact vs opinion

- Currency (up-to-date)

- Authority

- Intended audience

- Publishing body

- Popular vs academic

- Eliminate irrelevant info

- Primary vs secondary sources

- Critical reading

- CARS checklist

- Quizz

STEP 4: LEGAL USE

STEP 5: COMMUNICATE

When you evaluate information it is very important to distinguish between fact and opinion.

Fact

A fact is something concrete that can be proven. You can find facts in legal records, scientific findings, encyclopaedias, atlases, etc. In other words, facts are the truth and are accepted as such.

Opinion

An opinion is less concrete. It's a view formed in the mind of a person about a particular issue. In other words it is what someone believes or thinks, and is not necessarily the truth. Also, note in the examples below how facts are the same for everybody, but opinions can differ quite widely.

Here are some examples:

Fact	Opinion
Cape Town is called the Mother City.	Cape Town is the best city to live in, or Durban is the best city.
Abortion is legal in South Africa	I do not agree with abortion, or I do agree with abortion.

The document Interpreting What You Read (Cuesta College) will provide you with more information on fact vs opinion.
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