Evaluate Online Sources
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What you will learn
- 1Identify clues that make an online source reliable or unreliable
- 2Distinguish between reliable and unreliable sources
- 3Apply the SIFT method to evaluate a new source
Mini Lesson
Not every website tells the truth. Some online sources are written by experts and checked by editors. Others are written by anyone without checking the facts. Learning to evaluate a source — before using it in your research — protects you from spreading misinformation.
The SIFT Method
- Stop — pause before sharing or trusting anything you read.
- Investigate the source — who wrote it? What organization is behind it?
- Find better coverage — look for other sources that say the same thing.
- Trace claims — go back to the original source or data being cited.
Reliable vs Unreliable Clues
- Reliable: author named, date given, references cited, an official domain (the end of the web address) such as .edu or .gov.
- Unreliable: no author, no date, sensational headlines, many spelling errors, no references.
- Be careful with .com sites — some are excellent, but many are not fact-checked.
Words to know
Reliable source
A source with a named author, date, and references that can be verified
e.g. A university research page with cited data is reliable.
Unreliable source
A source with no author, no date, or unverifiable claims
e.g. A blog with no author and sensational headlines is unreliable.
Misinformation
False or inaccurate information spread without checking
e.g. A fake news headline shared millions of times is misinformation.
SIFT
Stop, Investigate, Find coverage, Trace claims — a source-check method
e.g. Using SIFT with a grown-up before trusting a news story online.
The best check: can you find at least TWO other trusted sources that say the same thing? If yes, the information is likely reliable.
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