S.I.F.T. Analysis

Evaluating Expertise:  Learn about the value of expertise and how to assess the authority of experts, based on credentials, reputation, and situational context.

No person or single website can KNOW everything!  So, we must rely on experts and multiple sources to make informed judgements.  Your task is to evaluate expertise for both an information author AND information provider:

Op-Ed Expert:

Take a moment to read this op-ed piece on AZ kids, education and COVID written by Sybil Francis @ AZCentral.com.  This op-ed makes specific statements regarding historical educational losses in the state of Arizona. 

USE Google to explore the author’s credentials & CONSIDER the following questions:

• What are the author’s qualifications and educational background and does her background give her expertise on the issue of education in Arizona?
• What else have they written?
• Do they have any public social media accounts?
• What institutions, organizations, and/or companies are they affiliated with?

Google Scholar:

In keeping with our theme of public education, learning loss and COVID, USE these terms as your keywords to search Google, then run a comparison search in Google Scholar.

Reflect on the following questions for this comparison:

• How are the sources searched in Google Scholar different from those in a typical Google search?
• Consider differences in terms of audience, purpose, jargon/terminology, level of detail, etc
• Take a moment to modify your Google Scholar results by enabling the Library Link Feature as shown below (NOTE: Be sure to choose Full-text@GCCAZ) - What results did you discover?:

Stop--S.I.F.T. Analysis:  Which letter did you find most important in seeking truth?  I=Investigate, F=Find Trusted Coverage or T=Trace to the Original.  Provide an Example.

Use the Padlet Board below to present your findings in the area of Evaluating Expertise - Click on the + Sign and Label your Post:  1. Your Name; 2. Evaluating Expertise