Which term describes reading deeply into a single source — checking the About page, authors, and citations?

• A. Vertical Reading
• B. Fact-Checking
• C. Source Triangulation
• D. Digital Footprint

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is evaluating a single source in depth, which is known as vertical reading. This means really drilling into one source to understand its credibility from the inside: what the About page says about the publisher, what the author’s background reveals about expertise, and how the source builds its argument with citations. By examining these elements, you assess whether the source appears trustworthy based on its own context and evidence before you look elsewhere for comparison. This focused, one-source deep dive contrasts with cross-checking across many sources, which is about fact-checking or triangulation—you’d gather multiple sources to confirm a claim rather than scrutinize one source’s own claims and credentials. Digital footprint, on the other hand, relates to the traces a person leaves online, not to evaluating a specific source’s credibility.