The first move is the simplest. STOP reminds you of two things.
First, when you first hit a page and start to read it — STOP. Ask yourself whether you know and trust the website or source of the information. If you don't, use the other moves to get a sense of what you're looking at. Don't read it or share it until you know what it is.
Second, after you begin the process and use the moves it can be too easy to go down a rabbit hole, chasing after more and more obscure facts or getting lost in a "click cycle". If you feel yourself getting overwhelmed in your fact-checking efforts, STOP and take a second to remind yourself what your goal is. Adjust your strategy if it isn't working. Make sure you approach the problem at the right amount of depth for your purpose.
Continue to Move Two (you can also use the buttons at the bottom of this guide to move on to the next step)
The SIFT Method was created by Mike Caulfield, all information in the SIFT Method section was adapted via CC licensing from his materials. As the authors of the original version have not reviewed any other copy's modifications, the text of any site not arrived at through the previous link should not be sourced to the original authors.