Chapter 20 Quiz: Source Evaluation and the SIFT Method

Instructions: Answer all questions. For multiple choice, select the best answer. For short answer questions, write 2-4 complete sentences. Answers are hidden — attempt each question before revealing the answer.

Section A: Multiple Choice (Questions 1-14)

Question 1 The CRAAP test was developed to assess source credibility. What does CRAAP stand for?

A) Content, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose B) Currency, Reliability, Authority, Accuracy, Provenance C) Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose D) Credibility, Relevance, Authenticity, Accuracy, Provenance

Show Answer **Answer: C — Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose** The CRAAP test was developed by Sarah Blakeslee at California State University, Chico. While the framework was appropriate for the information environment of the 1990s-2000s, its reliance on signals that a source presents about itself (apparent Authority, apparent Accuracy) makes it inadequate for the current digital environment where disinformation operations can easily satisfy these criteria.

Question 2 Research by the Stanford History Education Group found which of the following?

A) Professional historians were the most effective at assessing web source credibility B) College students outperformed professional historians on web credibility tasks C) Professional fact-checkers dramatically outperformed both historians and students on web credibility tasks D) Training in CRAAP methodology significantly improved credibility assessment

Show Answer **Answer: C — Professional fact-checkers dramatically outperformed both historians and students on web credibility tasks** Wineburg and colleagues' landmark study found that fact-checkers vastly outperformed both professional historians and college students on web credibility tasks. The key behavioral difference was verification strategy: fact-checkers used lateral reading (leaving the source to check what others said about it), while historians tended to read sources deeply from within.

Question 3 In the SIFT method, what does the "S" (Stop) instruction primarily address?

A) The importance of verifying all information before reading it B) The need to pause when content triggers a strong emotional reaction before sharing C) The instruction to stop using unreliable sources D) The step of stopping to check a source's About page

Show Answer **Answer: B — The need to pause when content triggers a strong emotional reaction before sharing** The Stop move addresses the fact that viral misinformation frequently exploits strong emotional reactions (outrage, vindication, shock) that drive rapid sharing behavior before reflection can occur. By pausing when such a reaction is triggered, users create space for verification to happen before the emotional impulse drives sharing behavior.

Question 4 "Lateral reading" involves which practice?

A) Reading across multiple pages within a website to build a complete picture B) Reading two sources side by side to compare their claims C) Leaving a source and checking what outside sources say about it D) Reading a source's methodology section to assess its credibility

Show Answer **Answer: C — Leaving a source and checking what outside sources say about it** Lateral reading means checking what sources outside a website say about that website's credibility — the opposite of "vertical reading," which involves scrolling down through the source itself to assess it from within. Research shows lateral reading is substantially more effective for credibility assessment in the current digital environment.

Question 5 In the SIFT method, "Investigate the Source" primarily involves which action?

A) Reading the source's About page carefully B) Checking the source's author credentials C) Leaving the source and performing a quick lateral reading search D) Evaluating the source's design and visual professionalism

Show Answer **Answer: C — Leaving the source and performing a quick lateral reading search** Investigating the source in SIFT means performing lateral reading — searching for the publication or organization in search engines or Wikipedia to see what external sources say about it, before reading its content. This is fundamentally different from reading the source's self-presentation carefully.

Question 6 Which of the following best describes the appropriate role of Wikipedia in the SIFT method?

A) Wikipedia should never be used because it is not a reliable source B) Wikipedia is used as a starting point for source investigation, not as a primary source for factual claims C) Wikipedia is the single most reliable source for quick fact-checking D) Wikipedia's Talk pages are more reliable than its articles for source evaluation

Show Answer **Answer: B — Wikipedia is used as a starting point for source investigation, not as a primary source for factual claims** Wikipedia synthesizes what secondary sources say about subjects, making its articles on news organizations, advocacy groups, and public figures useful for quickly understanding a source's background, funding, and controversies. However, for specific factual claims, Wikipedia is a starting point for finding authoritative primary sources, not the authority itself.

Question 7 What does a WHOIS lookup primarily reveal?

A) Who has linked to a website from other websites B) Domain registration information including when a domain was registered C) The full ownership history of a website's content D) The advertising revenue generated by a website

Show Answer **Answer: B — Domain registration information including when a domain was registered** WHOIS is a public database of domain registration records. A WHOIS lookup reveals domain registration date, registrar, registrant information (often privacy-protected), and expiry date. Domain age is particularly useful for source investigation: a site claiming to be an established organization but registered last week is suspicious.

Question 8 The Wayback Machine is primarily useful for which verification purpose?

A) Checking whether an image appears elsewhere on the internet B) Viewing historical snapshots of websites to detect identity changes or deleted content C) Translating website content from foreign languages D) Tracking how many times a piece of content has been shared

Show Answer **Answer: B — Viewing historical snapshots of websites to detect identity changes or deleted content** The Internet Archive's Wayback Machine stores historical snapshots of websites. Investigators use it to check whether a website existed at its claimed founding date, to detect when a site changed its identity or content, to find deleted content, and to verify claimed institutional continuity.

Question 9 Which reverse image search tool is particularly useful for finding the earliest known occurrence of an image?

A) Google Images B) Yandex Images C) TinEye D) Bing Visual Search

Show Answer **Answer: C — TinEye** TinEye specializes in finding exact matches or near-exact copies of images and allows users to sort results by "Oldest" — identifying the earliest indexed occurrence of an image. This is the primary tool for establishing whether an image predates the event it is claimed to depict.

Question 10 InVID/WeVerify is a browser extension primarily used for which purpose?

A) Verifying textual claims against fact-check databases B) Video verification, including keyframe extraction for reverse image search C) Detecting AI-generated text (deepfake text) D) Checking the political bias of news articles

Show Answer **Answer: B — Video verification, including keyframe extraction for reverse image search** InVID/WeVerify breaks videos into keyframes that can then be reverse-image-searched, helping verify whether a video was recorded at the time and place claimed. It also provides metadata analysis tools. The extension was developed with EU research funding and is used by professional fact-checkers at AFP, Reuters, Bellingcat, and others.

Question 11 What is EXIF data?

A) A format for sharing fact-checks between organizations B) Metadata embedded in image files by the capturing device, potentially including GPS coordinates and timestamps C) A database of verified images used for comparison in reverse image search D) A measurement of image quality and resolution

Show Answer **Answer: B — Metadata embedded in image files by the capturing device, potentially including GPS coordinates and timestamps** EXIF (Exchangeable Image File Format) data is metadata recorded by digital cameras and smartphones within image files. It can include device model, capture date and time, and GPS coordinates. For verification, EXIF can corroborate or contradict claims about when and where an image was taken — though EXIF is also easily modified and often stripped by social media platforms.

Question 12 The "hostile media effect" in the context of source credibility assessment means that:

A) All media coverage of conflict is inaccurate B) Partisans tend to perceive neutral coverage as biased against their side C) Partisan news sources are more hostile in tone than neutral sources D) Media coverage of hostile foreign powers is systematically biased

Show Answer **Answer: B — Partisans tend to perceive neutral coverage as biased against their side** The hostile media effect describes the well-documented tendency for people with strong political identities to perceive balanced or neutral media coverage as biased against their preferred side. In the context of source credibility, this means that domain credibility tools (like MBFC) are perceived as biased by partisans on both ends of the spectrum, and that credibility assessments themselves may be colored by the assessor's political identity.

Question 13 Which of the following is NOT a limitation of Media Bias/Fact Check (MBFC)?

A) Assessments of political bias are inherently contested and may reflect the assessors' own biases B) MBFC primarily covers English-language news sources C) MBFC uses IFCN-certified fact-checkers to verify all ratings D) Ratings may not be updated promptly as media organizations change over time

Show Answer **Answer: C — MBFC uses IFCN-certified fact-checkers to verify all ratings** MBFC does not use IFCN-certified fact-checkers for verification — its ratings are produced by its own team (primarily Dave Van Zandt) using a defined methodology, not through partnerships with professional fact-checking organizations. The other options are genuine limitations of MBFC that should be understood before relying on its ratings.

Question 14 Geolocation verification involves:

A) Tracking where users access a website from to assess its geographic reach B) Comparing visual elements in an image against geographic databases to determine where it was taken C) Using satellite imagery to verify the existence of locations claimed in news stories D) Checking whether a website's server location matches its claimed country of origin

Show Answer **Answer: B — Comparing visual elements in an image against geographic databases to determine where it was taken** Geolocation verification uses visual cues in images — distinctive buildings, road markings, terrain, vegetation, signs — and compares them against satellite imagery, Google Street View, and other geographic resources to determine the actual location depicted. It was pioneered by Bellingcat for conflict verification and is now a standard tool in investigative journalism.

Section B: True/False with Explanation (Questions 15-19)

Question 15 True or False: The SIFT method is designed to replace careful, comprehensive source evaluation with a quick-and-dirty surface assessment.

Show Answer **FALSE** SIFT is designed to make source evaluation more efficient and more effective, not to replace rigor with speed. The specific moves of SIFT — lateral reading, claim tracing, finding better coverage — are based on evidence about which verification behaviors are actually most informative. In many cases, a brief SIFT evaluation provides more accurate credibility assessment than extended CRAAP-style reading. For high-stakes decisions or complex claims, SIFT moves can be extended with additional verification effort.

Question 16 True or False: EXIF data is a reliable indicator of where and when a photograph was taken, because it is embedded by the capturing device and cannot be altered.

Show Answer **FALSE** EXIF data can be altered or stripped using widely available tools. The device clock may be wrong. Location services may be disabled, or the location metadata may have been added or modified manually. Additionally, many social media platforms automatically strip EXIF data from uploaded images. EXIF data is a useful data point but should be treated as one piece of evidence among several, not as definitive verification.

Question 17 True or False: Professional historians — with decades of experience evaluating historical sources — typically outperform undergraduates on tasks involving web source credibility assessment.

Show Answer **FALSE** The Stanford History Education Group's research found that professional historians barely outperformed college students on web credibility tasks. This surprising result reflects the fact that historians' expertise in evaluating traditional historical sources does not transfer to the different challenges of web credibility assessment. The skills that matter for web source evaluation are different from those required for traditional historical source criticism.

Question 18 True or False: SunCalc (suncalc.org) can be used as part of geolocation verification by checking whether shadows in an image are consistent with the sun's position at the claimed time and place.

Show Answer **TRUE** SunCalc calculates the sun's position (azimuth and altitude) for any location on earth at any date and time. By comparing the direction and length of shadows in an image to the sun's position at the claimed time and location, investigators can verify or contradict temporal and geographic claims about when and where an image was taken. This is a standard technique in open-source intelligence (OSINT) verification.

Question 19 True or False: AllSides, Media Bias/Fact Check, and Ad Fontes Media all use identical methodology for assessing political bias in news sources.

Show Answer **FALSE** The three tools use different methodologies. AllSides uses a multi-method approach including community ratings, editorial review, and blind surveys where raters rate articles without knowing the source. MBFC uses ratings produced primarily by its founding editor applying a defined set of criteria. Ad Fontes Media uses trained raters who score specific articles on both bias and reliability axes. Because of these methodological differences, the three tools sometimes produce different ratings for the same source, and none can be considered a definitive objective measurement.

Section C: Short Answer (Questions 20-24)

Question 20 Explain why the CRAAP test is less effective in the current digital information environment than it was when it was developed. Be specific about what has changed.

Show Answer **Model Answer** The CRAAP test was developed when establishing a credible-seeming institutional presence online required significant resources — professional web design, real editorial staff, institutional affiliation. In that environment, internal signals of authority (professional design, credential-bearing bylines, institutional affiliation) were meaningfully correlated with actual credibility. In the current environment, professional-appearing websites can be built in hours using free templates, domain names mimicking credible institutions cost a few dollars, stock photos of "editorial staff" can be generated by AI, and plausible institutional names can be invented. Well-resourced disinformation operations are specifically designed to satisfy CRAAP criteria — they appear current, relevant, authoritative, accurate, and purposeful according to the criteria a reader applying the test would check. The CRAAP test therefore provides insufficient protection against sophisticated disinformation while also not guiding users toward the most useful verification behaviors (lateral reading).

Question 21 A student finds a study claiming that a specific supplement reduces the risk of heart disease by 40 percent. Describe the specific SIFT moves you would apply to this claim.

Show Answer **Model Answer** Stop: Notice the reaction — health claims about supplements often trigger hope or excitement. Pause before accepting or sharing. Investigate the Source: If the claim comes from a website, perform lateral reading — search for the website's name in a search engine to see what independent sources say about it. Check Wikipedia if the organization is identifiable. Find Better Coverage: Search for the supplement name and "heart disease" to see what major health organizations (American Heart Association, CDC, NIH, NHS) say. Does this claim appear in coverage from credible health news sources? Is this a widely replicated finding or a single study? Trace the Claim: Find the actual study referenced. Is it published in a peer-reviewed journal? What was the study design (randomized controlled trial? observational?)? What was the sample size and study duration? Does the study actually claim a 40 percent reduction, or has secondary coverage exaggerated or misrepresented the finding? Finally, check expert consensus: What does the weight of scientific evidence on this supplement show? A single positive study against a background of neutral or negative studies should not be presented as established evidence of health benefits.

Question 22 A photograph is circulating on social media claiming to show a large protest in a major city. Describe how you would use reverse image search to verify or challenge this claim.

Show Answer **Model Answer** First, save or right-click copy the image, then upload it to three reverse image search tools: Google Images, TinEye, and Yandex Images. Use all three because each indexes different portions of the web and may find results the others miss. Check TinEye first with the "Oldest" sort — this reveals the earliest indexed occurrence of the image. If the image predates the claimed protest by weeks, months, or years, this establishes that it could not have been taken at the event described. Review all search results for the image's original context: What captions accompanied it originally? Where was it originally published? What event does it originally depict? If the current claim's location, date, or context differs from the original, the image has been decontextualized. Also note whether the image appears in any fact-check databases — professional fact-checkers may have already verified this specific image. Search for the image URL or a description of the image in Google alongside "fact check" to surface any prior verification work.

Question 23 Explain the "trace" move in SIFT with a specific example. Why is tracing to original sources important?

Show Answer **Model Answer** Tracing means following a claim back to its original source to verify that the claim accurately represents what the source actually says. Many forms of online misinformation involve legitimate source material that has been decontextualized. For example: a viral article claims that "a Harvard study found that students who read for 20 minutes per day score 27 percent higher on reading assessments." The Trace move involves finding the actual Harvard study referenced — searching for the specific claim in quotation marks, or searching for Harvard + study + reading + 20 minutes. When the original study is found, checking: Does it actually make this claim? Was the study Harvard-based or just covered in Harvard-affiliated media? Was the 27 percent figure accurate or is it a misrepresentation? Did the study apply to the age group and context implied by the viral article? Tracing is important because secondary and tertiary sources routinely misrepresent original sources — exaggerating findings, stripping context, applying findings to populations different from those studied, or erroneously attributing findings to prestigious institutions. Without tracing to the original, readers are relying on an already-distorted version of the evidence.

Question 24 What is the "30-second pause" and what does research suggest about its effectiveness?

Show Answer **Model Answer** The 30-second pause is a behavioral practice: pausing briefly before sharing content that triggers a strong emotional reaction, using that pause to begin a quick verification check (searching for the claim, checking the source). The pause's purpose is to create temporal distance between the emotional stimulus and the sharing behavior, allowing more reflective evaluation to occur. Research by Gordon Pennycook and colleagues found that brief accuracy prompts — even general ones not tied to specific content — reduced sharing of misinformation when shown to participants before they engaged with news posts. The mechanism appears to be that these prompts shift participants from automatically sharing (System 1 processing) to briefly considering accuracy (System 2 processing). The effect was found to be replicable and generalizable across different contexts. This suggests that even a very brief behavioral intervention — pausing — is sufficient to reduce misinformation sharing for many people, without requiring comprehensive verification of every item encountered.

Section D: Applied Analysis (Questions 25-27)

Question 25 A friend shares an image on social media claiming to show recent flooding in a European city, arguing it is evidence for climate policy urgency. The image shows dramatic flooding of well-known streets. What is your SIFT-informed response?

Show Answer **Model Answer** Stop: The image triggers concern and possibly political identity-relevant beliefs (if you care about climate policy, this may feel vindicating; if you're skeptical, it may feel alarmist). Either emotional reaction is a reason to pause. Investigate the Source: Who shared this? What is their track record? If it came from an unfamiliar social media account, lateral reading should include checking that account's posting history and whether it has previously shared accurate or inaccurate content. Find Better Coverage: Search for the claimed city name + "flooding" + current date. Do major news organizations (BBC, Reuters, AP) cover recent flooding in this city? If yes, this corroborates the claim. If no major news organization is covering it, this is suspicious for an event dramatic enough to flood well-known streets. Trace the Claim (Visual): Perform reverse image search using Google Images, TinEye, and Yandex Images. Check whether this image appeared previously in different contexts. Well-known flood images from various cities have been repeatedly recycled with new captions; TinEye's "Oldest" sort can reveal if this image predates the claimed event. If verification confirms the image is genuine and recent, the claim about what it depicts is credible — though the policy conclusions drawn from it involve value judgments beyond the scope of factual verification.

Question 26 Evaluate the following statement: "The Ad Fontes Media Bias Chart is an objective, scientifically rigorous measurement of news media bias." What is accurate and what is problematic about this claim?

Show Answer **Model Answer** What is accurate: Ad Fontes uses a defined, published methodology with trained raters who score specific articles rather than sources overall, and who undergo training intended to reduce partisan bias in rating. Using multiple raters and averaging scores is more methodologically rigorous than a single rater's impressions. Rating specific articles rather than organizations avoids the problem of applying a single label to outlets that vary in quality across topics and time. What is problematic: "Objective" and "scientifically rigorous" are strong claims that the methodology does not fully support. Bias assessment is inherently contested — reasonable people can disagree about where the center of the political spectrum is, what counts as neutral framing, and how to weight different forms of bias. The chart's horizontal axis (political lean) assumes a one-dimensional political spectrum and a relatively stable center, both contestable assumptions. The trained raters themselves are human beings with political orientations that training can reduce but not eliminate. "Scientific rigor" implies replicability and validity testing that would require independent replications of the rating process against external criteria — the extent to which this has been conducted is limited. The appropriate characterization is that Ad Fontes provides a structured, well-intentioned, and relatively transparent tool for approximately characterizing media political orientation and reliability, with the understanding that its assessments are not objective measurements but informed judgments with acknowledged methodology.

Question 27 You are developing a media literacy curriculum for high school students. A colleague argues that you should use the CRAAP test because it is well-established and familiar to librarians and teachers. How would you respond to this argument?

Show Answer **Model Answer** The CRAAP test's familiarity is a genuine pedagogical advantage — familiar frameworks reduce the cognitive load of instruction and benefit from a body of existing instructional materials and teacher experience. This argument should be taken seriously. However, the empirical evidence on what actually works for web credibility assessment in the current digital environment strongly favors lateral reading and SIFT-like approaches over the CRAAP test. The Stanford History Education Group's research demonstrated that deep reading of sources — which is what CRAAP guides students to do — is substantially less effective than lateral reading for web source evaluation. Teaching students the CRAAP test may give them a sense of methodological security while using an approach that disinformation operations are specifically designed to defeat. The most constructive response to your colleague acknowledges the genuine pedagogical value of established frameworks while making the case, based on empirical evidence, for transitioning to SIFT. You might propose a hybrid approach in the short term: teaching SIFT as the primary framework while referencing CRAAP for contexts where traditional source evaluation (library research, academic databases) is more appropriate. You could also suggest piloting SIFT with one class while your colleague continues with CRAAP, then comparing outcomes — this evidence-based approach respects the colleague's experience while creating space for the evidence to inform curriculum decisions.

End of Chapter 20 Quiz