An easy way to consider the truth of what you are reading or seeing is to apply the SIFT method . This  is an evaluation strategy developed by digital literacy expert Michael Caulfield (Washington State University Vancouver) to help you judge whether  online content can be trusted for credible and reliable information. SIFT is a simple 4-step process, and can be applied to all types of online content to  help you recognize false and biased content when you encounter it. 

SIFT stands for: Stop, Investigate Find, Trace

STOP

• What type of content is this? (Is it news, opinion, or entertainment? Is it biased?)

• Who wrote/created and published it? (Who is the author or organization -- are they trustworthy?)

• Why was it created? (To inform or to persuade?)

• When was it published? (Is the information current or outdated?)

If your answer to any of these questions is "I don't know," then, it's time to move onto the next step. 

INVESTIGATE THE SOURCE

Check  the expertise and agenda of the online content in question.  Look at  other sources and websites to see if they say the same as the original source. In a few minutes, you can learn about what others have written about your source (rather than solely relying on the source itself).

FIND BETTER COVERAGE

If the quality of your source is questionable, it's time to find better coverage from more reliable sources.Look at sources other than those recommended by the original site.  

• Do these sites agree with the original source on the issue?

• Does the original source have the expertise to report on this issue? 

• Is there a motive for the site to post the content? Is the information out of date? 

• If statistics are given, is there a link cited to verify the numbers? 

When performing a search, remember that search engines feed you content based on algorithms.  It then feeds you content based on your prior activity, and that is profitable to them. Thus it is important to not just click on the first result, but to find the most reliable source. 

TRACE CLAIMS, QUOTES, AND MEDIA BACK TO THEIR ORIGINAL CONTEXT

A lot of things you encounter online have been taken out of context. This includes: false, attention-grabbing headlines; inaccurate or misleading reporting and re-reporting; manipulated, edited sound and video; memes and images being shared with inaccurate captions, etc.

In most cases, the more a story circulates, the more it becomes warped and you may end up with a false version of an event or piece of research. This is when you need to investigate further and trace information (claims, quotes, media) back to the original source for full context.

When using SIFT, there are fact-checking websites that are dedicated to reporting whether a story is true or false. Here are just a few reliable fact-checking sites:

• Snopes.com
  One of the oldest debunking sites. Focuses on urban legends, news stories and memes.

• Factcheck.org
  Factcheck.org is  a “nonpartisan, nonprofit 'consumer advocate' for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics.” They “monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases.  FactCheck.org is a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

• PolitiFact
  PolitiFact is an independent fact-checking website created by the Tampa Bay Times newspaper to sort out the truth in American politics. It rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in American politics.

• PunditFact
  Checks "the accuracy of claims by pundits, columnists, bloggers, political analysts, the hosts and guests of talk shows, and other members of the media."

• Science-Based Medicine
  "...dedicated to evaluating medical treatments and products of interest to the public in a scientific light, and promoting the highest standards and traditions of science in health care."

Sites like Snopes not only report whether a story is true or false, but often provide context (ie, the whole story) and additional sources used to find information.