Collins Memorial Library: CCS 110: Mars Revolts! Contested Nations in Past, Present, and Future: Evaluating Sources

Evaluating Sources

Searching for any information on the internet can be an adventure! Evaluating the authority, usefulness, and reliability of the information you find is a crucial step in the research process. This page provides tips for evaluating sources for relevance, reliability, and usefulness.

The SIFT Method

SIFT is a method of evaluating online information developed by Mike Caulfield of Washington State University Vancouver. This infographic shows the steps of SIFT: Stop, investigate the source, find trusted coverage, trace claims, quotes and media to the original context.

Learn more about SIFT:

Check, Please! Starter Course
Caulfield's SIFT evaluation process in 5 lessons.
Sifting Through the Pandemic
Caulfield illustrates using SIFT to evaluate coronavirus information & misinformation.
Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers
Caulfield's fuller introduction to web literacy.
Online Verification Skills with Mike Caulfield (Video Playlist)
Mike Caulfield, who developed the SIFT methodology from observing the work of professional fact checkers, leads us through the 4 moves that anyone can make to verify a news story or find out if a source is trustworthy.

Lateral Reading

How to Spot Fake News

Fact Checking Sites

FactCheck.Org
From the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, the mission of the site is to be a “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases. Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding."
Politifact.com
PolitiFact is a nonpartisan fact-checking website to sort out the truth in American politics. Originally created by the Tampa Bay Times in 2007. In 2018, PolitiFact was acquired by the Poynter Institute, a nonprofit school for journalists. "Fact-checking journalism is the heart of PolitiFact. Our core principles are independence, transparency, fairness, thorough reporting and clear writing. The reason we publish is to give citizens the information they need to govern themselves in a democracy."
Snopes.com
When misinformation obscures the truth and readers don’t know what to trust, Snopes.com’s fact checking and original, investigative reporting lights the way to evidence-based and contextualized analysis. We always document our sources so readers are empowered to do independent research and make up their own minds.