Google Adds 'Highly Cited' Label to Search Results

Continuing its efforts to combat misinformation, Google will be adding new notices to its search results that help people check the validity and source of a story.

Local news stories, interviews, or press releases frequently linked to by other news publications will get a 'highly cited' label in search results. Google will also be adding tips on trending topics to get people to think more critically about a story and expanding its About This Result feature.

The highly cited label will appear on Top Stories and will be a small box in the corner of an article's thumbnail. Google said it hopes this label will increase original reporting as readers learn about the topic's original context that may get lost in other articles. The label is rolling out soon for Google's mobile app in English for the US and will release globally in the next few weeks.

Rolling out today are the critical thinking tips that encourage people to reevaluate a story. It will remind people to double-check if this source can be trusted or to come back later when more information is available. Google also points to its new resource page that teaches people how to research the validity of a story, its sources, and its author.

The last change will have About This Result include the source of a search result, internet comments on the website, and other forms of context. These changes will roll out soon globally to mobile, but only in the English language.