S ource 
O ther sites

T ime
R ead it all!
A uthor
S ponsored
H eadlines

-Look for cited sources throughout the article or a reference page at the end of the article where you can find more information. 
-See if the provided websites and sources are legitimate as well. Anyone can cite a page but it must be valid information as well. 
-When was the story published? If it was not within the past 10 years I would check for a more recent (and credible) story because research is constantly evolving. 
-Read the entire story! Sometimes the headlines may be deceiving and it can be an effective way to spread a false message by making the headline something that isn't capturing the story's main idea. 
-Who is the author? Can you do a search of this person and find out information about their credibility? If not are they studying under a credible author? Anyone can post anything on the internet so be aware of who your author is and what their intentions are!
-Is the page sponsored? You can see an example of a sponsored story below. Articles that are sponsored are often one-sided which doesn't give a comprehensive view of a topic. 
-What do the headlines say? I have seen stories with the headline "This is NOT Fake News." Usually when I see this typo of headline I can rule that it is not valid information. 

Let's put you to the test! If the story you're reading does not follow this mnemonic it is likely "SO TRASH" and you can disregard its validity and influence on you!