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Barrington High School Online Library: SIFT - Source Evaluation

Source Evaluation is more than using the CRAAP Test (currency, relevance, authority, accuracy and purpose) or choosing .edu or .org websites. Think critically about your sources.
Where do they come from? Who is behind the information? How does this source compare to the others you have come across? 
Can you find something better in the vast information landscape to suit your needs? 

Develop good web literacy habits!

SIFT

S - STOP

Before you even read the source - STOP.

  • Where did the information come from? How will you use it? How credible is the source or the claim?

Overwhelmed? Heading down a rabbit hole? STOP. Remember your purpose.

  • If your purpose is personal - check the credibility of the source.
  • If your purpose is deep research - investigate claims throughout the source.

I - INVESTIGATE the Source

Practice Lateral Reading

  • Just add Wikipedia
  • Is the source or organization what I thought it was?
  • Does this make it more or less trustworthy?

F - FIND Better Coverage 

  • Look to see what other coverage is available on the same topic - more trusted, more in-depth, more varied. 

  • Build your own list of trusted news sources.
  • Use fact-checking sites [Note: You don't have to just take our word on these sites. Using SIFT to factcheck the factcheckers for yourself is a good thing!]:
  • Do a reverse image search

T - TRACE Claims, Quotes, and Media back to their original context

Follow the path upstream to the original source of the claim.