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CRIM 420 - Law Enforcement Academy

Effective and ethical uses of information with an emphasis on images

SIFT

SIFT stands for Stop, Investigate the Source, Find Better Coverage, Trace claims, quotes, and media to the original context

"SIFT is an evaluation strategy developed by digital literacy expert Michael Caulfield (Washington State University Vancouver) to help you judge whether or online content can be trusted for credible and reliable information."

Credit: Wayne State University Library's SIFT libguide 

The SIFT method is a series of four moves that help you develop better judgement about information you find online. 

Using SIFT won't make you an expert on a topic and it won't necessarily help you resolve complex questions, but if you use the four SIFT steps before you engage with an online source, you will apply your attention and time more productively and accurately. In the end, it will help you avoid errors that a lot of people make online.

Credit: Sift: The Four Moves (CC By)

Reverse Image Search

Reverse Google Image Search

If you want to use an image that you already found but you can't remember where it came from, you can try a reverse Google search.

  • Look to the right for the word Images; click on it
  • Look to the right for the camera icon; click on it
  • Copy the image URL or upload the image from your computer/phone.
  • The Google results should show you where an image originated. Remember attribution decay though. Just because the image is showing up EVERYWHERE on the internet, still doesn't mean you can use it. You certainly need to - at the very least - link back to where you got the image from.