Information Seeking: Source criticism

Reliability of the information producer

• Is the producer an established agency, organization or expert?
  • new and inexperienced publishers or producers can be reliable too
• Is the author respected or authoritative in their field?
  • early career researchers' work can be equally trustworthy
  • experience can't be the only criteria
• Can you tell who has produced the information by looking at the website address?
• Can you find all or any contact information from the website?

Reliability of the information

• Is the information thoroughly researched, objective, and reliable?
• Are all citations mentioned appropriately?
• Is there a reference list?
• Can you verify or check the citations?
• Has the resource been checked by the publisher or editor? Has it been peer-reviewed
  • not peer-reviewed academic papers

Content

• Is it objective or subjective?
• Are the content facts or the author's opinions?
• Is the information unique, or can you find similar information from a more reliable and high-quality source?
• It's important to be able to tell the difference between websites that include factual information from websites that host only opinions, arguments or disinformation

The extent of information

• Have different aspects and points of view been considered?
• How comprehensive or detailed is the information?
• Is it limited to certain eras?

Topicality of online sources

• Is the producer or author known?
• Is the author known as an expert of the field?
• Is the producer established and recognized?
• Is the document dated?
• Is the information up-to-date
• Is there any more recent information available?
• Should the information be updated? When was it last updated?

Objective, target group

• Why did the author or publisher publish the material?
• Why was it published where it was?
• To whom is targeted to or meant for?
• Does it suit your information need?