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Evaluating Sources

SIFT Method for Evaluating Web Sources

How do you sort truth from fiction, and identify what matters? Before you include research material into your homework, it is important to think critically about each source. Whether it is an online article, tweet, or story from a post, you should determine if that source is true and useful for your research.

The SIFT Method shows you a short list of things to do or moves to successfully evaluate your web sources.

 

SIFT Method for Evaluting Web Sources: Stop, Investigate the source, Find trusted coverage, and Trace claims, quotes, and media back to the original context.

SIFT stands for:

  • STOP. When you first hit a page or post and start reading it - STOP. Ask yourself if you know the website, the source of the information, and what the reputation is of both the statement or claim and the website. If you do not have that information, use the other moves to get a sense of what you are looking at.

  • INVESTIGATE the source. Take a minute to identify where this information comes from and consider the creator's expertise on the topic and purpose. Is this source worth your time? Look at what others have said about the source to help you with these questions. Use a fact checking web site to help you identify the source. You can also use Wikipedia or Google the source to do a quick check of who is creating the information and/or funding it.

  • FIND trusted coverage. Evaluate the source and assess the information claim being made. Look for credible sources, compare information across sources and determine if there appears to be a consensus. Do you need to find the original source to get all the information?

  • TRACE claims, quotes, and media back to the original context. Sometimes online information has been removed from its original context (for example, a news story is reported in another online publication or an image is shared on Instagram). See if you can find the original article, post, tweet, or image -- and understand how it was originally presented.

 

Adapted from the College of Dupage Library; Modified from Mike Caulfield's SIFT (Four Moves), which is licensed under a CC-BY license.