S
What does the "S" in SIFT stand for?
Stop
What does the "I" in SIFT stand for?
Investigate
What does the "F" in SIFT stand for?
Find Better Coverage
What does the "T" in SIFT stand for?
Trace
You see: "BREAKING: Scientists Discover That Listening to Music While Studying Makes You 50% Smarter!"
What should you do first?
Stop
You see a headline that makes you extremely angry. What should you do first?
Stop and evaluate the information
You find an article written by someone claiming to be a "leading expert."
What should you do?
Investigate who they are and their expertise
You find a shocking claim on Instagram. What is one thing you could do to determine whether other sources support the claim?
Search for other reliable coverage of the same claim
An article says: "A Harvard study proves that students who use AI become less intelligent."
What should you try to find?
The original Harvard study
A website claims to be an unbiased health-information organization, but you discover that it is owned by a company selling the product it recommends.
What should you do?
Investigate the Source
True or False?
If an article confirms something you already believe, you don't need to fact-check it.
False
What is lateral reading?
Looking beyond the source itself to see other reliable sources say about a certain topic
True or False?
Finding two to three websites that agree with a claim is enough to prove that the claim is true.
True
Why shouldn't you automatically trust the way an article summarizes a research study?
The article could take the study out of context, misinterpret it, or oversimplify
A YouTube video claims that a celebrity said something controversial. Before believing it, you find the celebrity's original interview and discover that the video clipped the quote.
What did you just do in this scenario?
Trace
A TikTok says, "Scientists have officially proven that drinking coffee makes you live 10 years longer!"
You immediately feel excited because you love coffee.
Do you stop in this scenario?
Yes, never let your emotional reaction determine if you believe the claim
A website describes itself as "the most trusted news organization in America."
Should you accept that statement as evidence that it is trustworthy?
No, do your research
You see a photograph online claiming to show a recent event.
What tool could help you determine whether the photograph has appeared somewhere else before?
Reverse image search
A news article quotes a scientist saying, "This discovery could change everything."
You find the scientist's original interview and discover they actually said the discovery could change one very specific area of research.
What happened?
The quote was used out of context for the news article
You find a post claiming: "The new college policy is destroying student success!"
You don't know whether the claim is true.
What actions, using the SIFT method, could you use?
(for each action, gain additional points)
Stop and avoid immediately reacting
Investigate who created the post
Find Better Coverage from other sources
Trace the claim to the original policy/data
You're about to share a shocking post because thousands of people have already shared it.
Does the number of shares prove that the information is accurate?
No, popularity is not proof of creditability
You're reading an article about a new diet. The author sells the exact diet program being promoted in the article.
What should this make you investigate?
The author's potential issue of bias toward that diet
A viral post claims: "Scientists agree that video games cause violent behavior."
You search for other coverage and find several reputable sources saying the research is much more complicated and scientists disagree.
What should you conclude?
The original claim is either oversimplified or misleading and needs more research
A social media post cites a study to support its claim. You find the original study and discover that the study's actual results do not support the social media post's conclusion.
What is the problem in the social media post?
The original study was misinterpreted.
You see this post: "New Study Proves College Students Who Use ChatGPT Are 70% Less Intelligent!"
The post has 50,000 likes and links to a news article. The news article references a university study. You find the original study and discover it actually surveyed only 100 students and did not measure intelligence.
Name as many problems with the social media post.
The team with correctly identifying the most problems wins double the points
Headline exaggerates
Doesn't represent study
only involves 100 students
Didn't measure intelligence
The post misrepresented the research
Popularity doesn't equal credibility