FYE 1220 - First Year Seminar - Gilliard-Smith: Evaluating Sources

Currency: When was the information published or last updated?

Relevance: What is the depth/coverage of info? Who is the intended audience? How well does the source answer your questions?

Authority: Who wrote the information? What are their credentials? Are they affiliated with a company? A non-profit? A university? **Look for a Contact Us or About Us page.**

Accuracy: Are there any citations? Are there references to other people/organizations? Are there external links? Where are the links going and do they work? Can you verify the information elsewhere?

Purpose: Does the website aim to teach? Inform? Sell? Entertain? Persuade? Is it .gov? .edu? .com?

Quick Tips

• Check the "About" or "Contact" links to see if a physical address or phone number exists
• Look for a last updated or copyright date
• Be mindful of the URL - personal web pages often include the person's name
• Check the extension - .org, .com, .net, .edu, etc.
• Check for errors in spelling or page format
• Beware of broken links

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License by Mike A Caulfied.

Here are some things to consider as you use the SIFT method for evaluation: 

• Check for previous work: Look around to see if someone else has already fact-checked the claim or provided a synthesis of research.
• Go upstream to the source: Go “upstream” to the source of the claim. Most web content is not original. Get to the original source to understand the trustworthiness of the information.
• Read laterally: Read laterally. Once you get to the source of a claim, read what other people say about the source (publication, author, etc.). The truth is in the network.
• Circle back: If you get lost, hit dead ends, or find yourself going down an increasingly confusing rabbit hole, back up and start over knowing what you know now. You’re likely to take a more informed path with different search terms and better decisions.