What does this skill do?

The Source Credibility Evaluation Protocol helps an agent generate structured protocols that teach students to evaluate sources through lateral reading — checking other sources rather than judging a page in isolation.

It is grounded in research showing professional fact-checkers verify claims by opening new tabs, not by looking for credibility markers within a single source, and it operationalizes the SIFT method — Stop, Investigate, Find better coverage, Trace claims.

It produces step-by-step protocols, teacher modelling scripts, source-type-specific red and green flags, and concise student checklists, emphasizing reasoning over box-ticking.

  • Teaches lateral reading over vertical reading

  • Applies the SIFT framework to digital sources

  • Adapts guidance to the source type (news, social, video, wiki)

  • Provides teacher scripts and student checklists

How it works

1

Set the source and context

The agent takes the source type, the evaluation context or assignment, and the student level.

2

Build the protocol

It designs a step-by-step lateral-reading protocol using SIFT — stop, investigate the author or organization, find better coverage, and trace claims.

3

Model the thinking

It provides a teacher think-aloud script showing how to open new tabs, compare independent sources, and trace statistics to originals.

4

Give flags and a checklist

It supplies source-type-specific red and green flags and a concise student checklist for independent use.

Best use cases for this skill

  • Evaluating websites: Teach students to verify an unfamiliar website's claims.

  • Social media claims: Assess viral posts and infographics with lateral reading.

  • Research assignments: Give students a repeatable source-evaluation protocol.

  • Digital literacy lessons: Model fact-checker reasoning with the SIFT method.

Frequently asked questions

What does this skill do?

It designs a source-evaluation protocol using lateral reading and credibility checks, with teacher modelling scripts, red and green flags, and student checklists.

When should an agent use it?

Use it when students need to evaluate websites, online sources, or social media claims.

What is lateral reading?

Leaving the source to verify it against other independent sources, rather than trusting on-page design, .org domains, or self-described credentials.

What is the SIFT method?

Stop, Investigate the source, Find better coverage, and Trace claims to their originals — a way to operationalize lateral reading.

Use from source

Ask your Buda agent to install this community skill.

Copy this prompt into your own Buda agent. It includes the source repository and install command so the agent can complete the setup in natural language.

Prompt to send to your Buda agent
Please install the "Source Credibility Evaluation Protocol" skill into this Buda agent.

Source repository: https://github.com/GarethManning/education-agent-skills
Install command: npx skills add GarethManning/education-agent-skills --skill source-credibility-evaluation-protocol -y -a universal

Please run the install command, verify the skill is available, and tell me any setup notes or follow-up steps from the source repository.
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Install workflow

  1. 1Copy the prompt
  2. 2Send it to your Buda agent
  3. 3Done