JAPN 2150/2160: Okamura: Evaluating Print Sources

The S.I.F.T. Method

STOP

• Do you know the website or the source of the information?
• What is the reputation of the claim, the author, or the website?
• Don't know any of these? Use the next steps to get more information.

INVESTIGATE

• What does the web say about the source? (Wikipedia is a great start.)
• Don't trust what the source says about itself.

FIND trusted coverage

• Look for trusted coverage about the CLAIM the source is making, not the source itself.
• Understand the history and context of the claim
• Seek out those with relevant expertise and a trusted reputation

TRACE back to the original material

• Find the quote, media, or claim in its original context.
• Was the version you saw or read represented accurately?
• Find a high quality or highly respected secondary source if you can't find the original.

Source: Mike Caulfield, Director of Blended and Networked Learning at Washington State University Vancouver. 

Many times, the content of the article is more important than the publisher or author. It's important to understand the rhetorical strategies employed to make readers feel a certain way or to sway them to an author's opinion. The infographic below does a good job at briefly explaining a complex topic.