How to check ChatGPT contents for credibility?
Evaluating all information for credibility is highly recommended, regardless where you find it. This is true for generative AI responses. There are many different tools, checklists, and strategies to help you evaluate your sources.
Here are two strategies for evaluating information provided by generative AI tools:
Don't take what ChatGPT tells you at face value. Look to see if other reliable sources contain the same information and can confirm what ChatGPT says. This could be as simple as searching for a Wikipedia entry on the topic or doing a Google search to see if a person ChatGPT mentions exists. When you look at multiple sources, you maximize lateral reading and can help avoid bias from a single source.
If a generative AI tool provides a reference, confirm that the source exists. Trying copying the citation into a search tool like Google Scholar or the Library’s Page1+ Search.
Second, if the source is real, check that it contains what ChatGPT says it does. Read the source or its abstract.
“Checking ChatGPT for Credibility” by Amy Scheelke is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.
"Chat GPT and Academic Integrity" is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.