How it works
Most media-literacy exercises ask students to spot an obviously fake claim. Paper Trail asks something harder: trace a plausible-sounding claim back through several layers of retelling, and notice where it quietly drifted from what the original source supports. That is how most real misinformation works — not outright fabrication, but citation laundering.
Each claim runs four hops across five exhibits. Students classify each source type, look up the one real citation (a DOI or PMID they can verify), and record in Field Notes what got dropped, exaggerated, or reframed. Plan about 45 minutes per claim, individual or in pairs.
Claim No. 01 · Health × Marketing
Detox cleanse
A “14-day cleanse” claims a nutrition-journal review proves it flushes toxins and resets your liver.
Claim No. 02 · Health × Marketing
Fat-burning patch
A wearable “fat-burning patch” is “clinically proven safe and effective” for weight loss, citing a biofeedback-device study.
Claim No. 03 · Health × Marketing
Sleep gummies
A melatonin sleep-gummy ad is “clinically proven” to halve the time it takes adults to fall asleep, citing a clinical trial.
Claim No. 04 · Health × Marketing
Probiotic for mood
A probiotic is “clinically shown” to improve anxiety and mood for anyone who takes it, citing a peer-reviewed study.
Claim No. 05 · Health × Politics
Soda tax
A campaign post says an international study “proves” soda taxes cut obesity, urging voters to renew a local tax.
Claim No. 06 · Health × Politics
Food-dye ban
An advocacy post says a “new study proves” a common food dye is poisoning children, urging an immediate statewide ban.
Claim No. 07 · Health × Marketing
Greens powder
A wellness post says a “Stanford study” proved a greens powder reverses aging by ten years.
Claim No. 08 · Health × Politics
Insulin price caps
A post says a study “proves” insulin price caps save money and improve health for every patient.
Claim No. 09 · Science × Marketing
AI skin scanner
An “AI-powered” skincare scanner is “proven 86% accurate” at reading skin age and health, citing a peer-reviewed study.
Claim No. 10 · Science × Marketing
Blue-light glasses
Blue-light-blocking glasses claim a “Cochrane review” confirms they improve sleep and reduce eye strain.
Claim No. 11 · Science × Marketing
Performance wearable
A running wearable claims a published sports-science study proves it boosts endurance — “not placebo, physics.”
Claim No. 12 · Science × Marketing
Carbon-capture purifier
A home “carbon-capture” air purifier claims a peer-reviewed climate study proves it’s the best way to fight climate change.
Claim No. 13 · Science × Politics
Warming has stopped
A commentator says “the data proves global warming has stopped” because 2025 was cooler than 2024.
Claim No. 14 · Science × Politics
Street lighting & crime
A city-council candidate says a study “proves” better street lighting cuts violent crime.
Claim No. 15 · Science × Politics
GMO safety
An advocacy group says a toxicology study “proves” genetically modified crops are dangerous to eat.
Claim No. 16 · Science × Politics
EV emissions
A political ad says a peer-reviewed study “proves” EV batteries produce more emissions than gas cars.
Claim No. 17 · Politics
Voter fraud
A candidate says a Stanford/Harvard/Penn study “proves” widespread voter fraud, urging stricter voter-ID laws.
Claim No. 18 · Politics
Voting record
An attack ad says an incumbent “voted against fair wages,” based on a single advocacy-group scorecard grade.
Claim No. 19 · Politics
Unsolved crime
A candidate says FBI data “proves” most violent crimes in his city go completely unsolved.
Claim No. 20 · Politics
Poll margin
A campaign says its internal poll “proves” it’s ahead by 4 points, “outside the margin of error.”
Claim No. 21 · Marketing
Anti-aging cream
A face cream is “clinically proven” in a randomized trial to outperform prescription retinoid treatment.
Claim No. 22 · Marketing
Whitening strips
Teeth-whitening strips claim a peer-reviewed study proves they whiten just as well as a dentist.
Claim No. 23 · Marketing
Ab-toning belt
An “as seen on TV” ab belt claims a published study proves it builds muscle and burns fat with zero effort.
Claim No. 24 · Health
Ashwagandha
An ashwagandha supplement claims a Phase III clinical trial proves it cures anxiety for anyone who takes it.
Claim No. 25 · Health
Belly-fat exercise
An influencer says a study proves ONE ab exercise burns belly fat better than any other workout.
Claim No. 26 · Health
Fasting & diabetes
A wellness coach says a study proves intermittent fasting reverses type 2 diabetes without a doctor’s help.
Claim No. 27 · Science
Superconductor battery
A battery startup says a physics paper proves room-temperature superconductors are real.
Claim No. 28 · Science
Alien life
A lifestyle brand says an astronomy paper confirms scientists found signs of alien life on a distant planet.
Claim No. 29 · Science
Screen time & IQ
A parenting influencer says a study proves screen time lowers children’s IQ, selling a “screen-free” course as the fix.
Claim No. 30 · Science × Marketing
Quinoa & cancer
A “superfood” supplement ad says a study proves quinoa fights cancer, citing peer-reviewed research.
For teachers
Teacher materials & answer key
The Teacher Guide covers facilitation, standards alignment, and how to use the answer key — which documents one reasonable reading of each claim's trail, including the intended real source and the tells at each hop. It's a discussion anchor, not a grading rubric.
The answer key ships inside the full packet, kept out of the student-facing downloads above on purpose. Hand out the worksheets and exhibits before the key: the point of Paper Trail is the tracing itself — students look up the real citation, read it, and notice where the retelling drifted. A key reached first turns that work into a lookup. Keep it on the teacher's side of the room.
