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Navigating Misinformation and Disinformation

Two Quick Ways to Spot Misinformation: SIFT and SMELL

SIFT: Stop, Investigate, Find and Trace

  • STOP - Do you know and trust the source? If not, investigate: Evaluating Sources for Credibility.

    • Key questions to ask: What is the author's level of expertise? What is their point of view or bias? Is the information current or out-of-date?

  • INVESTIGATE THE SOURCE - See what others say. Here is a sample search: [URL] -site:[URL]. For example, acpeds.org -site:acpeds.org. This search takes the site out of your results list and lets you read what others have to say about it--this technique is called "lateral reading." 

    • Before reading in depth, open up new tabs to investigate: Who created the content? What was their motivation in sharing the information? Do others think they're reliable? Do other sites verify the information?
       
  • FIND TRUSTED COVERAGE - See if established news sources or fact-checking sites, like Snopes or PolitiFact, verify what you read: How to Find Better Information Online.
     
  • TRACE TO THE ORIGINAL - Go deeper by tracing quotes or videos back to their source. For photos, use TinEye's Reverse Image Search or Google Reverse Image Search: Trace the Information.

 

Caulfield, M. (2019, June 19). SIFT (The four moves). Hapgood. https://hapgood.us/2019/06/19/sift-the-four-moves/

SMELL: Source, Motivation, Evidence, Logic and Left Out

  • SOURCE - Who is giving me this information?
    • Is the information clearly cited from a primary, or first-hand source? 
    • Are they free of prejudice and conflict of interest? 
    • Do they have relevant expertise on the topic?
       
  • MOTIVATION - Why are they telling me this?
    • Is the information clearly stated without emotional or persuasive language?
    • Is the source/website free of distracting sales pitches, advertising, or commercial interests?
    • Are there multiple sides of the story or different perspectives represented?
       
  • EVIDENCE - How are they supporting their statements?
    • Does the source introduce at least one other source or reference?
    • Are factual claims supported with verifiable citations?
    • Are data sets (graphs/charts/infographics) clearly presented in an understandable format?
       
  • LOGIC - How did they come to their conclusions?
    • Do they provide sufficient evidence to support their claims?
    • Do their claims make sense the way they have explained it?
    • Considering facts that I already know to be true, does the information presented seem realistic and believable?
       
  • LEFT OUT - What are they NOT telling me?
    • Does the source make an effort to present all relevant information?
    • Are most of my questions about their claims answered?
    • If I search for the same topic from other sources, do they all provide basically the same information?

 

McManus, J. (2013, February 7). Don’t Be Fooled: Use the SMELL Test To Separate Fact from Fiction Online. MediaShift. http://mediashift.org/2013/02/dont-be-fooled-use-the-smell-test-to-separate-fact-from-fiction-online038/