Questions to ask
Where did this information come from?
Is the author of the source clearly stated?
Are there contact details for the author?
Does the author list their credentials and affiliations, and can they be verified?
Is the information supported by evidence?
Has the information been peer reviewed or refereed?
Are there spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors?
What to look for on a webpage
Check the title, the section headings, and the opening paragraphs to see if a person or organisation is named as being responsible for the content of the webpages. Keep in mind that the webmaster or person who designed the webpage is not necessarily the one responsible for the content of the page.
If you can't find any information about the author on the page you're looking at, then you can go back in stages to the home page. Delete from the end of the URL backwards to the first slash mark ("/") and press Enter on the keyboard. If you still don't see any information about the author, back up to the next slash mark. Keep going until you come to the site's homepage. See the Internet Detective URL clues page for more detail.
Check the domain name portion of the URL as the domain name often indicates what type of organisation and what country the webpage comes from.
What to look for in print material
Check the bookcover blurb and look for information about the credentials of the author.
Check for references; in journals look for information about the credentials of the editorial board (if there is one).
One way to get a quick idea of who is sponsoring or publishing a website is to understand the domain name portion of the URL.
| .com | Commercial businesses and for-profit organisation. |
| .edu | Educational institutions including primary schools in many countries. |
| .net | Organisations directly involved in Internet operations. |
| .org | Miscellaneous organisations that don't fit any other category, such as non-profit groups. |
| .gov | any government organisations. |
| ~ (tilde) | Web pages created independently by individuals. |
| country codes | A two-letter international standard abbreviation such as ".de" for Germany or ".uk" for the United Kingdom. |
| .ac.uk | The .ac refers to "academic" and is used by United Kingdom universities. |
Being able to recognize bias is a key skill to acquire. If an information source is biased this does not necessarily mean that it can't be used, but you may need to look for other sources with differing points of view, or sources written objectively to "balance the bias scales."
Questions to ask
Is the information written on behalf of a lobby group, think tank, religious or political organization? Read the "About Us" page and do more research to find out about the author and / or organization if necessary.
Are facts and arguments presented for both sides of an issue or only the author's own point of view?
Does the webpage include advertising? If so, can you tell clearly which parts are advertisement and which parts are information?
What to look for on a webpage
For books examine the preface or introduction for hints about the author's purpose and point of view. For journals check whether the journal is a refereed or peer-reviewed scholarly journal.
Questions to ask
What qualifications does this person or organization have to discuss this topic? Does the author have a university degree in the discipline? Is the author an amateur, or someone using the opportunity to express their own opinions.
Does the URL indicate what type of organisation the information is coming from? If an organization is responsible for the pages, is the organization widely recognized as a source of scholarly and reliable information? For example, CSIRO for science topics.
Has the author provided any evidence to back up their information?
Can the information and the references be verified elsewhere?
Is there any evidence the information has gone through a peer-review process?
What to look for on a webpage
Information about the author and the author's contact details – look for a link to a university or professional organization.
Information about any organization associated with the webpage – look for a link called "About Us" or something similar.
Links to other articles and publications by the person or organization.
If you can't find any information about the author on the webpage, do another search to see if it is possible to identify the credentials of the author and /or organization.
What to look for in print material
Check the book cover for biographical information about the author.
Check within the source for a list of references, bibliography or footnotes.
If you can't verify that the information is authoritative, don't use it!