Misinformation is information that is meant to misinform you. It can be something that is not meant to cause harm, such as satire, to something that was designed to be very harmful such as fabricated content. There are seven different types of misinformation. Misinformation can fit into more than one of these categories. 

• Satire: Satires are not intended to cause harm but can fool individuals into seeing them as real information. Examples of Satire are political cartoons, The Onion, and sections of Saturday Night Live.
• False Connection: False Connections are when visuals, headlines, or captions do not match the content. This disguise is meant to draw you in. An example of a False Connection is Clickbait.
• Misleading Content: Misleading content is when content is presented in a misleading way. An example is when an opinion is presented as a fact.
• False Context: False context is when real information is used with false context. An example is an image that is used with false context to change its meaning.
• Imposter Content: Imposter content is when real sources are impersonated. Examples of this include fake social media accounts for famous individuals.
• Manipulated Content: Manipulated content is when real information is manipulated to deceive. An example of this is an image that has been photoshopped.
• Fabricated Content: Fabricated Content is information that is completely false and designed to make people think it is real. An example of this is content designed to make people think the earth is flat or the moon is made out of cheese.

Now that you know what type of misinformation there is, the next step is to learn how to evaluate your sources. Knowing how to evaluate your sources can be a daunting task, but there is an easy method to do so. It's called the C.R.A.P. Test. C.R.A.P. stands for Current, Relevant, Authority, Accurate, Purpose.

• Current: The timeliness of the information. When was it published? Has it been revised or updated? What does your topic require? Will older sources work or does it require current sources?
•  Relevant: The importance of the information for your needs. Does the information relate to your topic or answer your needs? Is the information at an appropriate level? Have you looked at a variety of resources before selecting this one to use? Would you be comfortable citing this source in your paper?

• Authority: The source of the information. Who is the author/publisher/source /sponsor? What are the author's credentials or organization affiliation? Is the author qualified to write about the topic? Is there contact information for a publisher or an email address? Do the URLs reveal anything about the author or the source?
• Purpose: Reason why the information exists. What is the purpose of the information? Is the information fact/opinion /propaganda? Is it objective, impartial, and unbiased?