SIFT stands for Stop, Investigate the Source, Find Better (or Other) Coverage, and Trace Claims. This framework was developed by Mike Caulfield of Washington State University Vancouver to guide people through evaluating information. While it's often used for news articles, it can also be applied to academic articles, novels, films, and more. For the purposes of this guide, we'll be discussing evaluating an academic article (referred to here as the "first source").

1. Stop and consider what you know about the source. For an article discussing the themes in a novel, what do you know about the author or publication? Does the author have credentials in literature or cultural studies? Does the publication/journal have a reputation for a specific viewpoint or ideology? If you're not sure, see if can find information on other websites about the author or publication.

2. Investigate the source. Look at the "About" page for a journal publication, or a website like Wikipedia, to learn more about it. Does it have a specific focus, a reputation for inaccuracy, or a controversial history? Is it a scholarly source or a popular source? Is it self-published? For the author, can you find information about their background, education, and credentials?

3. Find other coverage. The first source is one opinion on the topic, but other authors/researchers might have different opinions. Using the article's bibliography or a library database, search for articles on the same novel/topic and compare the content. Do other articles offer a different perspective?

4. Trace the claim back to its source. Think back to the novel or other primary source referenced in the article. Do the author's claims hold up to your own reading and analysis? Are they ignoring evidence or making exaggerations? After going through these steps, what do you think about the claims in the first source?

Evaluating Online Information

We'll apply a shortened version of the SIFT framework to evaluating a research article. Let's say you're researching The Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler and you find the following article. 

Parable of the Sower: A Review

Skim it and answer the following questions.

• What's the focus or main argument? You can jot down keywords or complete sentences.
• What can you find out about the author or the publisher of the article?
• Take a look at the abstract of the following article. How does it compare to the first? What differences and similarities do you see?

STATIC AND KINETIC UTOPIANISM IN OCTAVIA BUTLER'S PARABLE OF THE SOWER