Undergraduate critical thinking with newspaper and social media sources
In a world of clickbait headlines and algorithm-driven feeds, thinking critically about the information we consume is more vital than ever. This interactive workshop aimed at undergraduates will help you to evaluate the credibility and bias in today’s news and social media. Through hands-on activities and real-world examples, you’ll learn how to assess sources, identify misinformation, and trace claims and quotes to their original context.

By the end of this session, you will be able to: describe what critical thinking means in the context of news articles and social media sources; identify different forms of bias in news and social media; recognise misinformation and ‘fake news’; and understand and apply the SIFT Method to evaluate claims in news and social media sources.

Intended audience: taught student.
Date: 15 May 2026, 10:00
Venue: Online via Microsoft Teams
Speakers: Helen Bond (Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford), Elizabeth McIntosh (Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford)
Organising department: Bodleian Research and Learning Support
Organiser: Helen Bond (Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford)
Organiser contact email address: usered@bodleian.ox.ac.uk
Part of: Bodleian iSkills - Workshops in Information Discovery and Scholarly Communications
Booking required?: Required
Booking url: https://www.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/ask/workshops#/course/OXFORDBODL/ISKILL0112
Cost: Free
Audience: Members of the University of Oxford, Oxford University Hospitals and Bodleian reader card holders.
Editors: Helen Bond, Melanie Smith