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Norwalk SIFT Method

SIFT

SIFT is a Digital Literacy Framework created by Mike Caulfield to help students and researchers quickly evaluate the credibility of online information. It’s especially useful for fact-checking news, websites, and social media.

 

Why SIFT is Important

  • Helps students build critical thinking about online content.

  • Encourages fact-checking habits before citing or sharing.

  • Complements traditional evaluation methods (like CRAAP or TRAAP) but is faster and designed for the web era.

The SIFT Method

 

STOP

Check Your Emotions

Before engaging with any online information, pause and reflect:

  • Do you know and trust the author, website, or source?

  • Do you need to double-check this information?

  • Should you stop before sharing or using it in research?

This quick step is especially useful in class discussions or when deciding whether a website is reliable enough to cite in your research.

 

INVESTIGATE THE SOURCE

  • Step away from the source and try to consider it objectively.
  • Use other websites to learn more about the author and the publisher(s) behind the source.
  • Consider whether the source has a particular bias.
  • Faculty can model this in class by showing how to look up the credibility of a site.

 

For this step, researchers use a technique called Lateral Reading, which involves going outside the original source to look at what other reputable sources have to say about it.  

 

FIND BETTER COVERAGE

  • Try to verify the claim the source makes by looking at other sources.
  • Seek out the best, most in-depth coverage of the information
  • Use library databases or reputable internet sites to find additional sources that corroborate or refute the claims made by the original source.
  • Students can compare at least two perspectives in assignments to show evaluation.

 

TRACE CLAIMS, QUOTATIONS, AND MEDIA TO THE ORIGINAL CONTEXT

  • Find the original context and gauge the accuracy of the version you saw
  • Search online news sites for relevant stories
  • Reverse image search to find the original image (if applicable)
  • Consult fact-checking websites such as Snopes.
  • Helps students avoid citing secondary or manipulated information.

Impact of SIFT

  • Builds critical digital literacy: Helps learners navigate today’s overwhelming flow of information.

  • Promotes quick fact-checking: Reduces the spread of misinformation by encouraging a pause before sharing.

  • Supports academic integrity: Guides students to use credible sources in their research and writing.

  • Empowers decision-making: Faculty and students can better evaluate claims, data, and media in everyday life (news, health, politics, AI content).

  • Complements traditional methods: Works alongside CRAAP/TRAAP tests but is faster and more suited for social media and web content.

Classroom & Library Applications

  • Faculty can embed SIFT in research assignments, asking students to document how they applied the four moves.

  • Librarians can use real-world online examples in instruction sessions.

  • Students can practice SIFT on everyday content (TikTok, YouTube, news posts) to develop lasting habits.