If you use social media or any other type of publishing tool, you know it's easy to be published on the Internet. There are a lot of questionable web sites out there, but there are reputable sites, too.
Just because information is published doesn't make it reliable or credible information.
Just because information is published doesn't make it reliable or credible information.
- Reliability: the quality of being trustworthy or dependable
- Credibility: the quality of being reasonable to trust or believe
SIFT: Moves for Resource Evaluation
SIFT is a helpful acronym for initially evaluating source credibility. SIFT (from Mike Caulfield) stands for:
When you determine that the site is worth your time, you can analyze the source's content more carefully.
Modified from Mike Caulfield's SIFT (Four Moves), which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
SIFT is a helpful acronym for initially evaluating source credibility. SIFT (from Mike Caulfield) stands for:
- STOP. Pause and ask yourself if you recognize the information source and if you know anything about the website or the claim's reputation.
If not, use the four moves (below) to learn more. If you start getting too overwhelmed during the other moves, pause and remember your original purpose.
- INVESTIGATE the source.
Take a minute 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. (See the "Four Moves" below for more on investigating sources.) - FIND trusted 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 claims, quotes, and media back to the original context.
Often online information has been removed from its original context (for example, a news story is reported on in another online publication or an image is shared on Twitter). Trace the information back to the original source in order to recontextualize it.
When you determine that the site is worth your time, you can analyze the source's content more carefully.
Modified from Mike Caulfield's SIFT (Four Moves), which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Questions to Think About
Relevancy
You may find a lot of information about a topic using your keywords, but what matters most is whether the information is relevant to your research.
Relevancy: the connection between things or events.
- Does the source have information that will help me answer my research question?
- Is the content appropriate for your research topic?
- What information does the source cover and in what depth?
Authority
Authority: a quality based on the author's qualifications or expertise
Anyone can create a web site. It's important to locate the author of the source to help you evaluate the information. The author's name should be found somewhere on the source to help you determine authority.
Who is responsible for the information in the source? To find the author, you might have to look in several places.
- Truncate each section of the URL back to the sponsor of the site.
- Go to the home page.
- Visit the "About Us" page.
- Look in the header or the footer of the web page.
- Determine the publishing sponsor of the web page.
Is this author or organization qualified to write on this topic?
Determine the expertise of authors by investigating their educational background, work experience and other writings. If this information is not available on the web site, use a search engine to research the author's credibility.
Objectivity
Objectivity: not being influenced by emotions or personal prejudices
Are the goals of the source clear?
The source may have one or more of these goal:
- to inform
- to persuade
- to entertain
What is the point of view or bias associated with the source?
Point of View or Perspective: a mental view or outlook about how aspects of a subject relate to each other and the whole.
Bias is not always a negative thing. If the biased information will help you in your research, it is important to acknowledge the bias.
Bias: in favor of or against one thing, person, or group compared with another
Does the source show several different points of view?
When you compare and contrast information from different points of view about a certain subject, it leads to the development of your own original ideas about the subject.
Do ads fund the site, or do they seem to be connected to the information in a way that might sway your opinion?
Currency
The date when the information was produced or published can be an important aspect of quality. In some cases, currency may not be important. Some information is timeless. There are other cases in which the information may be outdated. It all depends on your information need.
Currency: the degree to which something is
up-to-date
When was the source published or updated?
Is the information in the source up-to-date?
Is the topic of your research one that needs contemporary information?
Accuracy & Coverage
Accuracy deals with the reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the information. Information on a web site that cannot be confirmed should not be trusted - even if it fits your research purpose perfectly.
Accuracy: the quality or state of being correct or precise.
Coverage refers to the thoroughness and consistency of information.
Coverage: the extent or degree to which something is observed, analyzed, and reported
Is the information in the source accurate?
How can you prove the information is true?
Does the source reference other sources?
Do the citations add authority, credibility or depth to the information?
Does the source contain enough information to support your thesis? Is it thorough?
Is the information consistent with other information? Does it confirm what you know or have read about in other sources?
Design
If a web site is difficult to navigate, to search, or to read, its usefulness will be diminished.
Design: the construction of an object
Does the source contain text features and text formats that allow you to find information easily?
Are the links helpful, and do they lead you to more good information?
Do the graphics (images, tables, charts, maps, etc.) help you understand the information?
resource_evaluation_-_form_.docx | |
File Size: | 46 kb |
File Type: | docx |