HHIHS Library Media Center: Evaluating Resources

SIFT is a series of actions you can take to determine the validity and reliability of claims and sources on the web. SIFT is an additional set of skills to build on checklist approaches to evaluating online content.

The SIFT method, or strategy, is quick, simple, and can be applied to various kinds of online content: news articles, scholarly articles, social media posts, videos, images, etc.

Each letter in SIFT corresponds to one of the Four Moves:

Modified from Mike Caulfield's SIFT (Four Moves), which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Source: IBO.org

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  AllSides

  AllSides brings together the Left, Center, and Right takes on top news stories in a side-by-side format that focuses on bringing multiple perspectives to issues in the media.

Fact-Checking ResourcesAfrica Check

• Africa Check "Africa Check sorts fact from fiction. We identify important public statements, interrogate the best available evidence and publish fact-checking reports to guide public debate."

• Fact Checker Fact checking website focusing on political stories. From the Washington Post.
• PolitiFact This is an independent fact-checking website created by the Tampa Bay Times newspaper to sort out the truth in American politics. It rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in American politics.
• Science-Based Medicine "...dedicated to evaluating medical treatments and products of interest to the public in a scientific light, and promoting the highest standards and traditions of science in health care."
• Snopes.com One of the oldest debunking sites. Focuses on urban legends, news stories and memes.

Browser Extensions

• Open Mind (Chrome Plugin)

  "...to combat fake news and expose readers to differing political viewpoints."

• PolitEcho

  "Find out how polarizing the content on your news feed is when compared to your friends as a whole."