First Year Summit

1. S - Stop 🛑

• Action: Take a moment to pause. Ask if you recognize the source or have an immediate emotional reaction to the headline.

• Ranking: If the source is immediately recognizable as reputable (like the New York Times or Nature), you can proceed confidently. If it's a random blog or social media post, STOP and apply the next moves immediately.

2. I - Investigate the Source 🔍

• Action: Instead of reading the whole article, do a quick lateral reading check. Google the name of the author or publication to see what other, trusted sources (like Wikipedia or independent fact-checkers) say about its reputation, funding, or bias.

• Ranking: A source with a clear editorial process, transparency about its funding, and a history of accurate reporting ranks much higher than an anonymous blog or a site known for political advocacy.

3. F - Find Better Coverage 📰

• Action: If the source makes a major claim, leave the original source and search for the claim itself on Google. See who else is reporting it.

• Ranking: If the claim is being covered by multiple, high-quality, diverse news/academic sources, the claim itself is likely credible (even if the original source was poor). If only the original source (and other low-quality sites) are reporting it, the claim is likely an outlier and the source ranks very low.

4. T - Trace Claims, Quotes, and Media to the Original Context 🔗

• Action: If the source is talking about a study, a document, or a quote from an expert, find the original source material.

• Ranking: A source that accurately cites and represents the original context ranks high. A source that misrepresents or takes a quote out of context to support a new conclusion ranks very low.

Below are the two sources Tiffany is considering using for her research paper. Please look over both sources with the person sitting next to you. Use the SIFT evaluation method to determine where those sources fall on the credibility continuum. Fill out the form below to share your reasoning with Tiffany.