Communication in Media Organizations: MSP 4696

• The SIFT Method

The SIFT Method by Mike Caulfield provides four quick moves you can do when evaluating an online source. Learn more about using the SIFT method to sort fact from fiction related to COVID-19 at Sifting Through the Coronavirus Pandemic.
 

• CTRL-F

CTRL-F, a project from Canadian nonprofit CIVIX, is an extension of the SIFT Method. The guide provides short videos and activities which can help you pick up three fundamental skills.

After you have decided that a source is potentially useful, read it carefully and critically, asking yourself the following questions about how this research fits your project:

• How relevant is this material to your research question?
• Does the source include counterarguments that you should address?
• How persuasive is the evidence? Does it represent opposing viewpoints fairly? Will the source be convincing to your audience?
• Will you need to change your thesis to account for this information?
• What quotations or paraphrases from this source might you want to use?

Adapted from Easy Writer (4th ed.)