Evaluating Bias And Misinformation Evaluating Sources Research By

Bonisiwe Shabane

-Dec 6, 2025, 7:54 PM

evaluating bias and misinformation evaluating sources research by

E.S.C.A.P.E - The acronym for evaluating information explained Evidence - Do the facts hold up? Look for information you can verify. Source - Who made this, and can I trust them? Trace who has touched the story. Context - What's the big picture? Consider if this is the whole story and weigh other forces surrounding it.

Audience - Who is the intended audience? Look for attempts to appeal to specific groups or types of people. Purpose - Why was this made? Look for clues to the motivation. This is how the Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary defines bias: BENT , TENDENCY: an inclination of temperament or outlook; especially: a personal and sometimes unreasoned judgment: PREJUDICE: an instance of such prejudice i.e., (1): deviation of the expected value of a statistical estimate from...

or from Roget's II: The New Thesaurus, Third Edition: Exhibiting bias: biased, one-sided, partisan, prejudiced, prejudicial, prepossessed, tendentious. See LIKE, STRAIGHT. 2. Disposed to favor one over another: favorable, preferential. When it comes to modern media like news, advertising and the Internet, bias on demand has become the profession of spin-doctors who specialize in spinning anything negative into something positive.

The SIFT method is an evaluation strategy developed by digital literacy expert, Mike Caulfield, to help determine whether online content can be trusted for credible or reliable sources of information. All SIFT information on this page is adapted from his materials with a CC BY 4.0 license. Determining if resources are credible is challenging. Use the SIFT method to help you analyze information, especially news or other online media. Before you read or share an article or video, STOP! Be aware of your emotional response to the headline or information in the article.

Headlines are often meant to get clicks, and will do so by causing the reader to have a strong emotional response. What you already know about the topic. If you have any questions or wish to contact the CCCS Online Librarians, please use the contact information on the Library page. Evaluating sources in both your academic and personal lives is very practical skill. With practice, you can learn to critically evaluate every source and website you come across quickly and efficiently.

There are many different methods that can be used to help evaluate information, and some will apply better than others, depending on the information. Read closely. Question sources that contain: From: International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) Used with permission from The University of Chicago. The SIFT Method was developed by University of Washington research scientist and instructor Mike Caulfield.

SIFT stands for: Wayne State University Libraries produced a short video going through the SIFT Method. In addition to practicing the SIFT method, it is highly recommended to get in the habit of checking your emotions while verifying claims on the internet. Misinformation relies heavily on exploiting our emotions in order to spread. Stories and videos that elicit a strong emotional response (happiness, awe, anger, vindication, etc.) are the ones that tend to go viral. If you feel a strong emotional reaction upon seeing a post and feel compelled to share a "fact" with others or use it as a source for a paper, STOP.

Are you choosing/sharing the source because you have strong feelings about its content? If so, it is even more important to investigate the source to verify its reliability. It's important to understand & be able to identify bias when you are researching because it helps you see the purpose of a source and determine the reliability and accuracy of the information. Use the following questions to help you identify bias: Whether it's a book, journal article, website or photograph, sources are influenced by the ideas of the person who created them. Any type of source you look at will reflect the society and time in which it was created.

So, it's useful to think about the events, people, ideas - or historical context - that surround it. Writers, artists, historians, photographers and other creators will sometimes use their work to persuade people about a particular viewpoint or interpretation of an idea or event. So, it's important to work out why the resource was created. What to know: Not all information is credible, and there are ways to evaluate different types of information. What you'll learn: How to use some simple techniques spot misinformation and bias in different types of information. Why you should care: Knowing information is credible means you can use it - and share it - knowing you're not part of the spread of misinformation.

Whether you’re writing a research paper, sharing a post online, or just trying to understand a topic, taking time to evaluate your sources helps you make informed decisions and avoid misinformation. This chapter introduces the SIFT method, a simple set of steps that can help you quickly determine whether a source is reliable. You’ll also learn about lateral reading, a strategy professional fact-checkers use to investigate unfamiliar sources by looking outside the source itself. Together, these tools will help you become a smarter, more critical, and more confident information user. Before you read or watch something, stop and ask yourself: “Do I know and trust this source?” If not, use the other SIFT steps to learn more about it.

Stopping can also be helpful during the investigation process. If you find yourself falling down an internet rabbit hole or feeling overwhelmed, pause and remind yourself of your goal. What do you really need to know? Are you getting closer to that goal or just clicking around aimlessly? Refocus if needed. What is SIFT (Infographic) This link opens in a new window

The SIFT information presented has been adapted from materials by Mike Caulfield with a CC BY 4.0 This link opens in a new window license. Check out Shapiro Library's Emily Evaluates series! Emily Evaluates with SIFT is a 6 part narrative series of 1-2 minute videos in which a college student named Emily investigates accusations of fraud made against one of her professors using the SIFT... Follow along as Emily applies the SIFT steps in a real world scenario! SIFT is a source evaluation methodology created by Mike Caulfield, a misinformation researcher. SIFT is a four-step method that helps you quickly evaluate online information by focusing your attention on what matters.

The four moves—Stop, Investigate the source, Find better coverage, and Trace claims to the original context—guide you in identifying reliable sources, avoiding misinformation, and amplifying accurate content. By applying these moves with simple web techniques, you can become a more discerning consumer of information and resist the pull of clickbait. The SIFT method is especially helpful for evaluating news, social media, or other online media.

Evaluating Bias And Misinformation Evaluating Sources Research By

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