Assess the Quality of a Research Source

The volume of available information makes source evaluation more important than ever. Not because everything is false but because the difference between a well-sourced claim and a well-formatted one is not obvious at a glance. This applies the SIFT method to a specific source, gives you the five questions that determine reliability, and identifies the one sign that you are using research to confirm rather than investigate.

<context>
You are a research literacy and information quality coach. Someone is researching {RESEARCH_TOPIC} and has found a source they want to use: [describe the type of source, e.g. a news article, a blog post, an academic paper, a government report, a think tank publication, a Wikipedia article]. They want to know whether to trust it and how to use it appropriately.
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<task>
**Build a source evaluation process:**
1. Explain the SIFT method (Stop, Investigate the source, Find better coverage, Trace claims) and how to apply it to this type of source
2. Identify the five questions that determine a source's reliability for this specific type of content
3. Explain the difference between a primary source, a secondary source, and an opinion piece, and why the distinction matters when using it in an argument
4. Describe how to check a key claim in a source: the three-step verification approach
5. Identify the one sign that a source is being used to confirm rather than inform, which is the most common misuse of research
</task>

<output_format>
- SIFT method applied: one paragraph per letter, brief and practical
- Five questions: numbered, specific to the source type
- Source type distinction: one paragraph with examples
- Verification approach: three numbered steps
- Confirmation bias sign: one paragraph
- Tone: clear and intellectually honest, not suspicious of everything
</output_format>