If you are like most people, you want a better understanding as you read. If you’re a speed reader, or thinking of becoming one, then comprehension is even more important. At high speed, it’s easy to get lazy. So much information is pouring into your brain in an instant, you probably want to keep flowing with it. At least, that’s what most speed readers do. You don’t want to do this. You want to make sure that what you are learning is valid and true. Finding the truth and validity of what you read depends on the proper use of ethos.

Ethos is the first thing that every good writer should present when writing. They are the facts. As a reader, you need to play detective. As Joe Friday of the old show and the new version of the movie would say, “just the facts, please, just the facts.” Let’s look at some of the things to keep in mind when validating the facts.

First, who wrote the text? What are your qualifications on this topic? Look at his education. Is this a doctor writing an article on managing illness or a layman? Does this person have any experience in this field? If so, how much experience? You also want to consider what other experts think about these opinions. You can Google his name and see if there are any objections to his beliefs. Again, you must evaluate the reviews using the same criteria. After all, the person who has a different opinion may be wrong.

Next, consider your previous experience with this topic. Are these facts supported by other material you have learned? If not, why not? Is this new information? For example, if he lived in 1940 and believed that smoking was bad for your health, that would only be his opinion. There was no evidence to support his belief. If today he believes that smoking is bad for his health, his opinion would be backed up by tons of new research. He must weigh new ideas against the validity of old ones very carefully. Don’t jump to conclusions.

Finally consider where the information is being printed. Is it in a reputable publication or one that has a questionable reputation? Is this a controversial topic? What is the inclination of the provider of this information. For example, I would expect a liberal publication to have a very positive view of liberal ideas, while at the same time having very critical or more conservative views. Vice versa, I would expect a conservative publication to have a very positive view of a conservative idea and to be very critical or have a liberal perspective. Now if a conservative publication is very supportive of a liberal idea, or if a liberal publication is very supportive of a conservative idea, that’s something you really want to focus on.

Just use a little common sense. Don’t believe everything you read. Often people play on their emotions to make incorrect information seem true. With a little practice you will become an expert at detecting deception.