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Fact-Checking Toolkit: How to Fact Check like a Pro

Strategies to Combat Misinformation

Storytime

So one evening you are scrolling TikTok (or maybe Instagram Reels if you are old like me 😅) and you run across this video:

@tony.aube who else is watching this tonight? #harrypotter #pixar #dramione ♬ original sound - Tony Aubé

Holy cow, that is amazing! I know what I am doing tonight! I should invite some friends over!!

As your finger hovers over that share icon, STOP! You might be spreading misinformation.

SIFT (The Four Moves)

SIFT method - Stop, Investigate the source, Find better coverage, Trace claims, quotes, and media to the original context

The SIFT method was created by Mike Caulfield. All SIFT information on this page is adapted from his materials with a CC BY 4.0 license.

It is easy to get pulled in by disinformation, use this method to analyze information in many different contexts, personally, professionally, and in your academic career.

Interested in learning more? Check out the free three hour online minicourse.

Need help? Ask a Librarian!

Stop

  • Before you read the article, Stop!
  • Before you share the video, Stop!
  • Before you act on a strong emotional response to a headline, Stop!
  • Ask yourself: Do I know this website? Do I know this information source? Do I know it's reputation?

Investigate the source

  • Use "lateral reading" by opening a new tab and searching the name of the source in question to see what other sources say about it.
    • Wikipedia is a great tool for this!
  • Is the source known to have a history of being unreliable or sharing disinformation?
  • Is the site or organization what it appears to be? (e.g. is it actually a political advocacy group when it first appears to be a research group?)

Find better (or additional) coverage

  • Don't rely just on one source - pull keywords from the headline and perform another search
    • Is there disagreement or controversy about this claim or story?
    • Is this a consensus viewpoint, or is it the subject of much dissent?
  • Have any fact-checking websites (Snopes, PolitiFact) performed a fact check on the claim/story?
  • Do a reverse image search

 

Trace claims, quotes, and media to their original context

  • Click through to follow links to claims.
  • Find the original reporting, research, or photo.
  • Open up the original reporting sources listed in a bibliography if present.
  • Look at the original context. Was the claim, quote, or media fairly represented?