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COMP 200 - Kilker: Credible Sources

Guide to acompany Dr. Kilker's COMP 200 classes

Evaluating Resources

Start with the sites you know.

If you don't know the site -- Investigate the site before you use anything published on it.

Check the URL:

  • Notes on Personal Pages:
    • Blogs, Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, and other personal social media are generally not considered credible resources.
    • Not always reliable, try to learn more about the author.
    • URL usually includes the person’s name.
    • If their name isn’t the site name, it will likely be in the URL after a tilde or percentage sign.
    • Type of Domain:The domain type should match the content type:
  • .com = commercial
  • .edu = educational
  • .mil = military
  • .gov = government
  • .org = nonprofit

Who Published It?

  • Look at the first part of the URL between http:// and the first /.
  • Find the agency or person that published the article
  • Go to their homepage -- does the content of the publisher's page "match" the content of the article?
  • Reliable publisher = reliable content and authors

Who Wrote It?

  • Find out who is accountable for the information.
  • Find the author/organization responsible for the content.
  • Look for a link or About Me/About Us/Background page that will tell you more about them
  • Look for info on their education and experience.
  • Evaluate what you know about them and decide if you believe they are qualified to write about the topic.

Timeliness

  • An outdated source is not always credible.
  • Current topics: publishing dates are important
  • Outdated topics: date should be near the time the content became known.

Check Sources

  • Scholarly content should always have source info, and should not be an opinion piece. It should contain references to data, or research studies.
  • Scholarly research is built on past research, so there need to be sources cited.
  • If the content is reproduced from another source, go to the original source to ensure it has not been altered.

Bias

  • Make sure your source does not use vague terms to support its claims.  Phrases like "recent studies proved", or "experts point out".
  • Beware of buzz words and phrasing that are designed to evoke an emotional response.  If it makes you angry -- that is a red flag.
  • Is the title misleading -- does the information on the page match the title your search engine found?

Links to the Site

  • Links from other reliable sites shows credibility
  • If they are the only one linking to the site (from other parts of their site) then it may not be reliable.
  • Check any endorsements or reviews to make sure they are not made up, and the reviewers are outside experts.

Find Related Sites

Type the word LINK: into Google search box. Paste the URL directly after the colon, no spaces. Difference search engines may have different results so try more than one. If you don’t see any links, shorten the URL.

Overall Evaluation

  • Once you have reviewed all of this info, you can decide whether you believe
  • the source to be credible.
  • Since the internet is open to everyone, remember that you may be looking at false info or opinions instead of fact.
  • If you’re unsure, go to a reference desk in the library or ask an expert for advice:
  • https://library.kutztown.edu/researchservices

Using SIFT

The SIFT Method

https://mikecaulfield.files.wordpress.com/2021/02/sift-infographic.png

The SIFT method is an evaluation strategy developed by digital literacy expert, Mike Caulfield, to help determine whether online content can be trusted for credible or reliable sources of information. All SIFT information on this page is adapted from his materials with a CC BY 4.0 license.

Determining if resources are credible is challenging. Use the SIFT method to help you analyze information, especially news or other online media.

S - Stop

Before you use or share something your find online:  STOP.  

  • Do not even read, listen, or view the content before INVESTIGATING the source.
  • Be aware of your emotional response to the headline or information in the article. Headlines are often meant to get your attention, or even upset you in order to get clicks.  Ecommerce is looking for what creates a strong emotional response.

Before sharing, consider:

  • What you already know about the topic. ​How does this new information line up with what you already believe is the truth?
  • What do you know about the source. Do you know it's reputation?
  • Move on to the next step and finish the process before sharing or using the source.

I - Investigate the Source

Who are the author and source publishing the information?

Are they considered experts in the area, and by whom?

  • What can you find about the author/website creators? ​
  • What is their mission? Do they have vested political or social  interests? ​Would their opinion or judgement be biased?
  • Use lateral reading. Read “laterally,” across many connected sites instead of digging deep into the site at hand.
  • You can check out the 'About Us' section on the organization's website, but what is essentially not reliable about that?
  • See what other, trusted sources say about the source.​ You can use Google or Wikipedia to investigate the source (YouTube Video below)
  • Hovering is another technique to learn more about who is sharing information, especially on social media platforms such as Twitter.

  • Short video demonstrating how to investigate your source

F - Find Better Coverage

The next step is to Find Better Coverage or other sources that may or may not support the original claim.

  • Again, use lateral reading to see if you can find other sources corroborating the same information or disputing it.​
  • What coverage is available on the topic? 
  • Keep track of trusted news sources.
  • Many times, fact checkers have already looked into the claims. These fact-checkers are often nonpartisan, nonprofit websites that try to increase public knowledge and understanding by fact checking claims to see if they are based on fact or if they are biased/not supported by evidence.
  1. FactCheck.org​
  2. Snopes.com​
  3.  PolitiFact

T - Trace Claims, Quotes, and Media to their Original Context

The final step is to Trace Claims, Quotes, and Media to their Original Context.

When an article references a quote from an expert, or results of a research study, it is good practice to attempt to locate the original source of the information.​

Click through the links to follow the claims to the original source of information.

Open up the original reporting sources listed in a bibliography. A reputable source will list its sources -- make sure the sources do not have a hidden agenda or bias with the same critical eye that you are using to evaluate the original article.

  • Does the information in the quote support the original claims in the research?
  • Is information being cherry-picked to support an agenda or a bias?​
  • Is information being taken out of context?​

Remember, headlines, blog posts, or tweets may sensationalize facts to get more attention or clicks. ​Re-reporting Does the author of your article omit, misinterpret, or select certain facts to support biased claims.Make sure to read the claims in the original context in which they were presented.

When in doubt ask your professor or a librarian!

About SIFT

  • The SIFT method is the original research of Mike Caulfield
  • Hapgood Blog   This is Mike Caulfield's Blog and he describes his SIFT method in further detail here
  • Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checker  A short eBook by Michael A. Caulfield and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.