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ENG 151 - SIFT Method for Evaluating Sources (Dual Credit)

This guide explains how to use the SIFT Method for evaluating sources. SIFT stands for Stop, Investigate the claim, Find better coverage, and Trace back to the original source.

Information Formats

Information Formats

Information comes from many places: books, magazines, newspapers/news media, videos, social media, and more. 

Those are all formats of information. Format refers to how information is packaged.

Some formats are better than others for your information need. Think first about the kind of information you need to help you choose the right format. Formats present information differently for different purposes. News media presents information for the general public about current events. Academic journals present original research or even editorials from researchers for other researchers.

Knowing what information format you have tells you:

  • How the information was created.
  • Who created the information.
  • Why the information exists.

Watch the following video (5 min. 54 sec) for a closer look at the information cycle and information formats.