Critically thinking through and evaluating information can be difficult, especially information about complex topics. Consider asking a librarian when you are looking for help evaluating information. Librarians are trained as information professionals and support information exploration in a variety of topics.
Many scholars disagree on the definition of critical thinking as well as differ on how to develop critical thinking skills and dispositions. While critical thinking is a complex process, according to The International Encyclopedia of Education, most researchers agree that critical thinking includes the following components: intentionality; sensitivity to context; clarity and precision; boundedness to principles; argumentation as an alternative construct to critical thinking; reasonableness; relevance; sufficiency; acceptability; reasoning abilities, skills and dispositions implied in argumentative discourse; generative abilities; inferential abilities; appraisal abilities; evaluation of information; evaluation of arguments; evaluation of context; metastrategic skills; epistemic and epistemological awareness; a reasoning/arguing disposition; is evidence-based; is transferred from the social to the individual; is transferred to other topics/contexts; moves from skills to dispositions; is designed as an endpoint; is grounded in values; has reflexivity; and includes media/information literacy.
This 10 minute video by Hannah Knecht, M.Ed. provides some concrete exercises on how you can become a critical thinker in the workplace and beyond.
Librarians at the University of Michigan Library have provided advice, resources, and simple questions that may help you begin thinking about evaluating any source.