Before you can begin researching you need to choose keywords!
A keyword is a term that describes the subject matter that you are looking for in a search. Taking the time to choose appropriate keywords for a search will save you time and frustration. One search term can be the difference between finding exactly the right articles for your research and finding nothing.
Prepare for searching by identifying the central concepts in your research question. A computer is programmed to match sequences of characters and spaces and does not often understand the natural language we use with each other, so clarify for what you will be looking for. Focus only on essential concepts.
SIFT is a series of actions you can take to determine the validity and reliability of claims and sources on the web.
The SIFT method, or strategy, is quick and simple and can be applied to various kinds of online content: news articles, scholarly articles, social media posts, videos, images, etc.
Each letter in SIFT corresponds to one of the Four Moves:
Stop
Investigate the source
Find better coverage
Trace claims, quotes and media to the original context
Find more details on the Four Moves from Mike Caulfield's SIFT (Four Moves), which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Video courtesy of Kimbel Library, Coastal Carolina University.