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
You can consult this eBook for further information on fact-checking online resources:
