SIFT: Evaluating Sources Online
Stop
- STOP! Do NOT read the source you just found instead:
Investigate the source
- Do a quick Google search and check the Wikipedia page for more information about the source. Ask yourself these questions:
- What is the source exactly? Is it a news article, blog post, government report, etc.?
- Who wrote or created this source?
- Who published this source?
- What is the purpose of publishing this source? To inform? To entertain? To make you feel feelings?
- Go beyond the 'About Us' section.
- Remember you aren't doing extensive research; this should only take around 1-2 minutes.
Find trusted coverage
- Is other coverage similar?
- Can you find a better source? A more trusted source?
- An article from a database or trusted website?
- A source that goes more in-depth?
- Do expert sources (from library databases & reliable websites) agree with coverage?
- Look beyond the first few results in Google search.
- Use fact checkers to check facts & claims.
Trace Claims, Quotes, and Media to their Original Context
- When an online article references a quote from an expert or results from a research study, locate the original source of information.
- Good websites will make it easy to find the original source of information through clickable links or a bibliography.
- Be wary of sources that make it hard to find the original source or link to unreliable sources.
- Be especially weary if the claim, quote, or media is:
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- Unfairly represented
- Being cherry-picked to support an agenda or bias
- Being taken out of context
- Remember, headlines, blog posts, and unreliable news sites may sensationalize facts to get more attention or clicks.
- Re-reporting may omit, misinterpret, or select specific facts to support biased claims.
- Important facts and contextual information may be omitted if the claim is used from a source who took it from another source.
Based upon information from The University of Chicago Library: The SIFT Method
