When you encounter information online, act as a professional fact-checker. 

• Stop. Before using or sharing a source, take the time to evaluate it. 
• Take time to Investigate the source. Do a Google search or Wikipedia search for the author or organization that is the source of the information and evaluate their reputation, credentials, and motives. 
• Next, Find Better Coverage- compare the information to other reputable sources or consult fact-checking websites like:

FactCheck.org

Politifact

Snopes.com

Finally, Trace the Original Context. Is the information you found presented by the original source or is it referring to another article or report? If you find a news article referencing a scientific study, refer back to the study itself to get the full context. 

The information on this page is adapted from The Four Moves/ SIFT method by Mike Caulfield https://hapgood.us/2019/06/19/sift-the-four-moves/. It is licensed under CC BY 4.0

 Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers Open Access eBook by Mike Caulfield