SELECTION: source -- Information Literacy Training and SIFT Quiz

Please review the following pages from our reference librarians.  With questions, write to refdesk@mchenry.edu and cc me at ahumphrey@mchenry.edu

• Introduction
• The Research Process
• Before You Begin: Identify Your Source!
• Characteristics of Scholarly and Popular Sources
  • Examples of Scholarly Sources
  • Examples of Popular Sources
• The SIFT Method
  • Stop
  • Investigate the Source
  • Find Better Coverage
  • Trace Back to the Original Source
• The SIFT Method in Action
• Conclusion

Now that you've learned the process of SIFTing through source information, it's time to put your evaluative skills to use as you evaluate some potential research sources.   You'll practice the Four Moves in the SIFT method on some sample sources and decide whether the source in question would be useful in satisfying your information need.

Remember, these are the four steps in the SIFT method:

1.  Stop

2.  Investigate the Source or Claim

3.  Find Better Coverage

4.  Trace Back to the Original Source

Sometimes, you need to repeat this process depending on the source, and that's ok.  Once you've worked through these steps in order, your job is to determine whether you'd use this source in your paper.

Work through the entire process -- incorporating all 4 Moves of the SIFT method when necessary -- and try to determine the credibility of the source presented. Should you use the source?  You're performing the same process that we saw on this page, which might be helpful to have open as you work.

For each of the questions that follow, work through this process to determine whether or not you should use this source for a college-level paper; select the best answer from the options provided.