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Gender, Sexuality, and Women's Studies Library Resource Guide

SIFT & PICK Fact-checking and Source Evaluation

What Makes an Information Source "Good?"

"Good" sources include those that provide complete, current, factual information, and/or credible arguments based on the information creator's original research, expertise, and/or use of other reliable sources.

Whether a source is a good choice for you depends on your information needs and how you plan to use the source. For verifying facts and claims, you'll want sources that help establish what happened or what's true. For developing arguments about complex or debatable topics, you'll want sources that represent different expert perspectives and high-quality reasoning.

Evaluating Sources Using Lateral & Vertical Reading

The SIFT* & PICK approach to evaluating sources helps you select quality sources by practicing:

yellow arrow pointing to the right  Lateral Reading (SIFT): fact-checking by examining other sources and internet fact-checking tools; and

green arrow pointing downVertical Reading (PICK): examining the source itself to decide whether it is the best choice for your needs.

*The SIFT method was created by Mike Caulfield under a CC BY 4.0 International License.

SIFT acronym with icons

 

Stop

  • Check your emotional state before engaging.
  • Do you know and trust the author, publisher, publication, or website?
  • If not, use the following fact-checking strategies before reading, sharing, or using the source in your research.

Investigate the source

  • Don't focus on the source itself for now.
  • Instead, read laterally: learn about the source's author, publisher, publication, website, etc., from other sources.

Find better coverage

  • Focus on the information, rather than getting attached to a particular source
  • If you can't determine whether a source is reliable, trade up for a higher quality source

Trace claims to the original context

  • Identify whether the source is original or re-reporting
  • Consider what context might be missing in re-reporting
  • Go upstream to the original source. Was the version you saw complete and accurate?

 

PICK acronym illustration

Purpose

  • Determine the type of source (book, article, website, social media post, etc.)
    • Why and how it was created? How it was reviewed before publication?
  • Determine the genre of the source (factual reporting, opinion, ad, satire, etc.)
  • Consider whether the type and genre are appropriate for your information needs

Information Relevance

  • Consider how well the content of the source addresses your specific information needs
    • Is it directly related to your topic?
    • How does it help you explore a research interest or develop an argument?

Creation date

  • Determine when the source was first published or posted
    • Is the information in the source (including cited references) up-to-date?
  • Consider whether newer sources are available that would add important information

Knowledge building

  • Consider how this source relates to the body of knowledge on the topic
    • Does it echo other experts’ contributions? Challenge them in important ways?
    • Does this source contribute something new to the conversation?
  • Consider what perspectives are missing or excluded from the conversation
    • Does this source represent an important missing perspective on the topic?
    • Are other sources available that better include those perspectives?

Creative Commons License SIFT & PICK by Ellen Carey is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Last updated 4/11/23.

Know When SIFT & PICK Have Limits

SIFT & PICK work well for:

  • Verifying everyday facts and claims
  • Identifying misleading or false information
  • Finding what experts generally agree on

SIFT & PICK does not work as well for:

  • Settle complex debates between qualified experts
  • Replace deep subject knowledge
  • Resolve cutting-edge research questions

SIFT works well for verifying individual facts, but not not as well for interpreting what those facts mean. When experts disagree about complex issues, your job shifts from fact-checking to evaluating different arguments and developing your own well-supported position.