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CITC16H3: Planning and Governing the Metropolis

This guide will help students in CITC16 with evaluating information, and finding scholarly sources and policy publications for your assignment and other class requirements.

SIFT: Stop, Investigate, Find, Trace

SIFT infographic University of Oregon CC-BY-NC-SAThe SIFT Method: Evaluate Information in a Digital World (Infographic) by University of Oregon Libraries available under a CC-BY-SA 4.0 license. 

Online Verification Skills

Evaluating a source like a fact-checker

Looking at an information source, and the piece of information that is claimed to be relevant, follow the below steps to evaluate the resource.

 

Steps to using SIFT

  1. Stop:
    • Reflect on the emotional response yo have from the article with skepticism. Identify a claim(s) that is discussed in the article/website.
  2. Investigate: Find the Wikipedia page about the organization and/or person
    • What did you learn about the organization and/or the person making the claim?
    • How does this information help you to evaluate the source?
  3. Find:
    • What is the original source of reporting?
    • Is there another source mentioned on this page where they got that fact from?
    • Look that source up and go back to step 2, Investigate
  4. Trace: Trading-up from another trusted source
    • Use a fact checker
    • Find other trusted sources of information that discuss the claim. You may use Google to help you find these or the library.
    • Can that information be verified by scholarly sources?
      • Search in Library Search using keywords
      • Read abstracts
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