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Hale/ EP GOV / Spring Project: Websites and Source Evaluation

Government Websites

Academic search engines to try:   Google Scholar or Refseek 

All .gov websites are preapproved. Websites to explore:

Fact Checking with the SIFT Method

SIFT is a series of actions you can take to determine the validity and reliability of claims and sources of information. 

The SIFT method, or strategy, is quick, simple, and can be applied to various kinds of content: social media posts, news articles, scholarly articles, videos, images, etc.

Each letter in SIFT corresponds to one of the Four Moves:

SIFT graphic

The method was developed by Michael Caulfield, Director of Blended and Networked Learning at Washington State University- Vancouver.  Modified from Mike Caulfield's SIFT (Four Moves), which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Executive Branch Websites

The Executive Branch- White House- Overview: https://www.whitehouse.gov/1600/executive-branch

Department Web Sites:

  1. Vice President: https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/vice-president-harris/
  2. Secretary of State: https://www.state.gov/secretary/
  3. Secretary of the Treasury: https://home.treasury.gov/​
  4. Secretary of Defense: https://www.defense.gov/
  5. Attorney General: https://www.justice.gov/ag
  6. Secretary of the Interior: https://www.doi.gov/
  7. Secretary of Agriculture: https://www.usda.gov/
  8. Secretary of Commerce: https://www.commerce.gov
  9. Secretary of Labor: https://www.dol.gov/
  10. Secretary of Health and Human Services: https://www.hhs.gov
  11. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development: https://www.hud.gov/
  12. Secretary of Transportation: https://www.transportation.gov/
  13. Secretary of Energy: https://energy.gov/
  14. Secretary of Education: https://www.ed.gov/
  15. Secretary of Veteran Affairs: https://www.va.gov/
  16. Secretary of Homeland Security: https://www.dhs.gov/

Twenty-Fifth Amendment Archive at Fordham University Law Library:  http://ir.lawnet.fordham.edu/twentyfifth_amendment_archive/

Website Evaluation Form

Website Evaluation Form

Click on the link below to open the GoogleDoc. To allow for editing, look under your File menu and select "Make a copy." Answer the questions, print and attach to your research assignment: Woodward Academy Website Evaluation Form

SIFT in 4 Moves

Move #1: S - STOP!

Ask yourself:

  • Do I recognize this source?
  • If I do recognize this source, is it something I know I can trust?
  • How does this source make me feel?
  • Does this source answer a question I'm asking in my research?

Watch this video intro about SIFT:

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Move #2: I - Investigate

Ask yourself:
  • What IS this source, exactly? Is it a news article, a blog post, a government report, etc.?
  • Who wrote or created this source? 
  • Who published this source?
  • What is the purpose in publishing this source? To inform? To entertain? To make you feel certain emotions?
Knowing the expertise and agenda of the source is crucial to your interpretation of what is being said.

Try Lateral Reading!

Watch this video of Move#2: Investigate with "Lateral Reading" and "Add Wikipedia":

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Move #3: F - Find Better Coverage--Look at Other Sources

  • Find a better source, to help determine the reliability of the information:
  • Try a keyword search of text in Google (highlight text and right click in Chrome)
  • Try a reverse image search in Google (right click on image and click search GoogleImages in Chrome)

 Watch this video of "Verify With Other Sources":

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Move #4: T - Trace Claims, Quotes, and Media Back to the Original Source

Find some context. Context is the set of circumstances and things around a person or thing or event that we humans often rely upon to give something meaning, to understand where it comes from, and what it might affect.

Watch this demo of trace back to the original source:

Watch this about building a library of trusted sources :

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.