Developing students' skills of identifying reliable scientific sources: how to avoid fake information

Abstract

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to provide modes of teaching Russian undergraduate students fundamental critical analysis of scientific papers and ways of identifying misinformation and disinformation in “Academic Writing” module.Design/methodology/approach“Academic Writing” module was taught to first-year undergraduate students at the North-West Institute of Management of the Presidential Academy (NWIM RANEPA, Russia). At a starting period students were asked to complete a questionnaire and perform a test, and then write an essay to identify how students were able to assess Web scientific literature and verify their “tolerance” to inaccurate and fake scientific information. Then contact hours on theory and practice of identifying and assessing information were introduced into the curriculum. At the end of the semester lists of works cited in original essays and final assays were compared. Besides, “double-blind peer-reviewing” role play was used to appraise coursemates’ text evaluation skills.FindingsThe findings reveal that entirely all first year undergraduate students lack the ability to differentiate between qualitative certain scientific information and misinformation and disinformation, and they willingly borrow anything from the Web. However, students acquired necessary skills to assess information critically using socio-technical systems infrastructures. This was demonstrated with list of literature analysis in students’ essays and peer-checking.OriginalityIt is headline news and social networks when it is necessary to distinguish from authentic and inaccurate information. However, skills of critical assessment of scientific publications are of vital importance at a starting period of studies. In publications of that sort falsifications, fabrications and other fake discoveries can lead to reputational and financial risks, and then trigger unethical demeanour of future researchers.Practical implicationsThe results of the paper can be used for teaching in university curriculum. Embedding information literacy and academic writing as well as involving information resources into students’ curriculum are aimed at the ability to identify misinformation and disinformation. Authors-developed "Academic writing" module component might be introduced into curriculum as a self-contained short course or a composing element of any students' academic discipline. All this mitigate the risks of applying low-equality, unverified and openly fake information in educational and scientific works.