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Senior Project: Determining Credibility Online

How do we efficiently determine credibility online?

USE the 4 MOVES to S.I.F.T. and determine credibility online.

SIFT stands for:

  • Stop.
  • Investigate the source.
  • Find better or other sources.
  • Trace back to the original source to see quotes in their original context. 

We do these steps in order because sometimes, step one and two are the only ones that are necessary. Sometimes, we will need to go further. 

Step One: STOP

The first move is the simplest. STOP reminds you of three things:

  1. If you STOP before you start reading content, you’re able to ask yourself if you trust the website or the source of information. Don’t read it or share it until you know what it is.
  2. Is the article provoking strong emotions? Making you extremely angry, upset, fearful or overwhelming you with cuteness? If so, beware- these are classic techniques disinformation brokers use to draw us in to less credible information. However, a little discomfort can just mean you're feeling the cognitive dissonance that can normally accompany information that doesn't jive with your worldview.
  3. Further on, you may have to STOP again to remind yourself what your goal is. Adjust your strategy if it isn't working. Make sure you approach the problem at the right amount of depth for your purpose.

QUESTION TO ASK YOURSELF AT STOP

  • What kind of content is this?
  • How is it making me feel?
  • Who wrote or created it?
  • When was it published?
  • Who published it?

STEP TWO: Investigate the Source

When Is Wikipedia Okay?

Wikipedia is not ideal to use as an academic source but it can be valuable to use to look up an author or a newspaper or an organization. It generally is accurate when used in this way. Want more info? Check it out here.

The references section can also link to many more sources- many of which may be credible- but you should still always check! 

Fact Checking

Here are some great places to start to fact check. 

STEP THREE: Find Trusted Coverage

If you find the quality of the source is low or it doesn’t adequately answer the questions you have, you can find more trusted coverage elsewhere. 

 

STEP FOUR: Trace Claims Back to Their Source

Sometimes tracing a claim back to its original source is as simply as clicking a hyperlinked medical study in the article you're reading and skimming it in its original context (or asking a librarian for help if you're struggling to find it). But what if it's harder to find?

 

What About Youtube?

Click on the channel name and look at the ABOUT section. Is the producer/author named? Without a name, it's hard to evaluate credibility and you should probably steer clear. With a name, investigate the source just like you would the author/publisher of an article. Are they an expert in the content the video is about? Should we trust them?

Acknowledgments

Note: This SIFT method guide was adapted from "Check, Please!" (Caulfield). The canonical version of this course exists at http://lessons.checkplease.cc. The text and media of this site, where possible, is released into the CC-BY, and free for reuse and revision. We ask people copying this course to leave this note intact, so that students and teachers can find their way back to the original (periodically updated) version if necessary. We also ask librarians and reporters to consider linking to the canonical version.

As the authors of the original version have not reviewed any other copy's modifications, the text of any site not arrived at through the above link should not be sourced to the original authors.