SIFT Evaluation Strategy
Using SIFT helps combat evolving disinformation threats, misinformation concerns and fake news. Use these steps to help you get closer to the truth.
Modified from Mike Caulfield’s SIFT (Four Moves) which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Stop
- Ask yourself whether you recognise the information source and if you know about the claim’s credibility or the website’s reputation.
Investigate the source
- Take time to identify where this information comes from and to consider the creator’s expertise and agenda. Is this source worth your time? Look at what others have said about the source to help with you these questions.
Find better or other coverage
- Sometimes it’s less important to know about the source and more importance to assess their claim. Look for credible sources, compare information across sources and determine whether there appears to be a consensus.
Trace back to the source; see the original context
- Often online information has been removed from its original context. Trace the information back to the original source in order to recontextualise it.