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Lateral reading is the act of verifying what you’re reading as you’re reading it. Lateral reading helps you determine an author’s credibility, intent, and biases by searching for articles on the same topic by other writers (to see how they are covering it) and for other articles by the author you’re checking on. That’s what professional fact-checkers do. For more on the definition and lateral reading, you can take a look at the News Literacy Project.

Learn how to SIFT sources using Lateral Reading via this helpful video:

Online Verification Skills Playlist via CTRL-F Youtube

SIFT is a method to examine the credibility of sources. Follow the four steps below to analyze whether the information you have found is worth using!

S: Stop!

Before using the source, stop and consider: 

• Are you familiar with the website, journal, or information source where you're currently reading this information? 
• What do you know about the reputation of the website or the claim being made?

If you don't know about the source or generally accepted facts in the topic, then move on the following steps to figure out if the source and/or the claim/headline/report is trustworthy and factual. 

I: Investigate the Source

You want to know what you're reading before you read it. 

• Investigate the expertise and agenda of the source to determine its significance and trustworthiness. 
  • Look at the publication, journal, or website who published the text. Use tools like Wikipedia and Google to look for the publisher. For example if I wanted to figure out more information about the online news source "The Advocate", I could type "theadvocate.com wikipedia" in the search bar to find out more information about the source outside of the source (moving beyond the "About Us" section). 
  • On social media platforms like Twitter you can use what's called the hovering technique: https://infodemic.blog/2020/02/16/lets-hover/
• Who is the author? Does he or she have the qualifications to speak/write on that topic? Is the author affiliated with a reputable university or organization in this subject field? You can Google their name to find out!
• What is the intended purpose of the information? Is the source trying to inform you, persuade you, or something else? 

F: Find Better Coverage 

If your original source is questionable, find a better source to determine accuracy of claim.

• What other coverage is available on the same topic? 
• Is this the most current data/facts/research on the same topic?
• Are there other sources that confirm their research and data? That is, are they cited by other sources in the field?

T: Trace Claims, Quotes, and Media Back to the Original Context 

What's the original context? 

• By finding the original source,  you can get a more complete picture of the issue or a research finding that is more accurate. Your aim here is to get to the the point where the people doing the writing are the people verifying the facts (the original reporting source or the research team).  
  • When reading online sources, pay attention to who they quote as a source and see if you can find more information in references or cited sources
  • If there are hyperlinks in the source that point towards original studies or reporting go ahead and click on those to follow the chain to the original source.   
  • If there is a bibliography or listed references, open up the original sources listed.  
  • Google key terms (or the actual terms) if the source has no mention of the origin.  
• After you've found the original claim, quote, finding, or news story, ask yourself if it was fairly and accurately represented in the media that you initially came across. 

The SIFT method was created by Mike Caulfield. All SIFT information on this page is adapted from his materials with a CC BY 4.0 license. SIFT Outline used from LSU CampusGuide.

CRAAP is an acronym for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose. Use the CRAAP Test to evaluate your sources.

Currency: the timeliness of the information

• When was the information published or posted?
• Has the information been revised or updated?
• Is the information current or out-of date for your topic?
• Are the links functional?   

Relevance: the importance of the information for your needs

• Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
• Who is the intended audience?
• Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)?
• Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use?
• Would you be comfortable using this source for a research paper?

Authority: the source of the information

• Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
• Are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given?
• What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations given?
• What are the author's qualifications to write on the topic?
• Is there contact information, such as a publisher or e-mail address?
• Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source?
  •  examples:
    • .com (commercial), .edu (educational), .gov (U.S. government)
    • .org (nonprofit organization), or
    • .net (network)

Accuracy: the reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the content

• Where does the information come from?
• Is the information supported by evidence?
• Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
• Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge?
• Does the language or tone seem biased and free of emotion?
• Are there spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors?

Purpose: the reason the information exists

• What is the purpose of the information? to inform? teach? sell? entertain? persuade?
• Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear?
• Is the information fact? opinion? propaganda?
• Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
• Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases?