The SIFT Method
The information we find online may or may not be reliable. When working with websites, social media, and other online resources, use SIFT to evaluate them:
STOP.
When you find a page or a post, stop and ask yourself if you know the source of the information or anything about the reputation of the claim, especially if you have a strong reaction to the content. Take a moment to reset, remembering the purpose of your research and what you plan to do with the information you find.
Example
You may have a strong response to the Instagram post below. Before you take it at face value or share it, stop
to assess your reaction and consider whether you know anything about the source or the claim.
INVESTIGATE the source.
Take sixty seconds to figure out where the media is from before reading, watching, or listening to it. If you're reading a piece on economics by a Nobel prize-winning economist, you should know that before you read it. Conversely, if you’re watching a video on the many benefits of milk consumption that was put out by the dairy industry, you'll want to know that as well.
Example
Consider the above Instagram reel. Who is or what is sapienship.lab? What do we know about them? Are they reliable? We know most social media platforms do not fact check.
A Google search shows us that...
Sapienship is a multidisciplinary organization advocating for global responsibility. Their mission is to clarify the global conversation, focus attention on the most important challenges and support the quest for solutions. They highlight three challenges facing the world today: technological disruption, ecological collapse, and global war.
And that Sapienship Lab is a media hub for 21st century educators who work with students and young people. It can also be enjoyed by lifelong learners.
FIND trusted coverage.
Sometimes it's less important to know about the source and more importance to assess their claim. Look for credible sources that comment on the claim and compare information to determine whether there appears to be a consensus.
Example
Continuing with our example, we want to find trusted coverage for two claims:
- That Pew Research Center actually did a study on use of TikTok as a news source and if so, what data did they report.
- NewsGuard published a report about TikTok videos and misinformation and if so, what data did they report.
Searching the first claim returns several news and media outlets reporting on the Pew Research Center findings about TikTok and it's use as a news source including CBS, Axios, and CNN.
A similar search on the second claim, returned news and media outlets reporting on the NewsGuard report about Tiktok and misinformation such as CNN, ABC 7 New York, and Newsweek.
Knowing that information is sometimes taken out of context, we should not automatically assume the report findings are true and factual.
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 modified and posted on another online publication or a single image from a source is shared on X/Twitter. Trace the information back to the original source to find out more about the original intent.
Example
Many websites today do a lot of "reporting on reporting." One of the best ways to verify the information is to go to the original source.
The screenshots below show the original reports from both Pew Research Center and NewsGuard. Further investigation of the pages shows they provide information on how they conducted the research and additional links to more information.
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Modified from Mike Caulfield's SIFT (Four Moves) and Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers, which are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.