SIFT - Stop, Investigate, Find, Trace

Stop and Check Your Reaction

Before you share a screenshot, a video, or add a source to your paper, STOP!
What is your initial reaction to this? Is it immediate anger, confusion, outrage, or even joy. Check your immediate gut reaction. Then ask the following questions:

• What type of source is it?
• What was your reaction to the source?

Continue on through the SIFT method, going through INVESTIGATE, FIND, and TRACE further down the page.

Investigate the Source

Now, that you've stopped, it's time to investigate the source of the screenshot, video, article, or book.

• Where is it coming from?
• Is it social media?
• Did you hear this from a friend or family member?
• Was it covered by a news channel?
• Did you pick it up from your library?

Now, once you know where the source came from, who was the creator for this source? Do they have the needed authority to be writing or reporting on this information? Asking this questions of yourself and of the source will help you figure out what the information is meant to be doing.

You may also want to read laterally, where you go to different tabs and find out more information about the author/creator of the source you are investigating.

Find Better Coverage

Or, who else is talking about this video, article, book, or screenshot? This is a bit of a continuation of reading laterally, but find other sources that are talking about this piece of information.

• Who else is talking about this?
• Are they talking about it differently?
• How have other authors cited this source?

There are also online fact checkers, if it's a big enough story, that will have up-to-date information. They are usually non-profit and non-partisan websites that try to increase public knowledge and understanding. Check them out below:

Trace the Claims or Information

The last part of the SIFT method is to trace the claims, information, quotes, screenshot, or video. Trace it all the way back to its original source if possible. Whether it's a quote from an article, a graph from a research paper, or a citation in a literature review, find out where the original came from. This will not only help you find more sources, but will help you see how others are using this information. Think about also:

• What the quote or attribution correct?
• Where did this information come from?
• Is this article explaining it correctly/fairly?
• Is the information missing context?

TikToks, screenshots of headlines, tweets, and other short form media can be, and have been, sensationalized in order to increase peoples' need to click through and glance over the bare minimum. Reposting of information without proper citation, or using just screenshots of headlines can allow someone to omit need context and information in order to inform their own basis of the story. By reading deeply through the original article, full context of the information is found and evaluated thoroughly.

Should you ever find yourself unsure of whether or not a source is giving you the full context, you can always set an appointment with your liaison librarian for more information!