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5 Tips to Locate Credible Online Sources

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5 Tips to Locate Credible Online Sources

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This teacher-curated pack offers high-quality resources to help you and your students learn about how to keep safe when using the Internet.

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created by CSU Library, Australia

What is fake news?

Fake news has been around for a long time but the US Presidential election 2016 highlighted the phenomenon. Fake news is defined by the Collins English Dictionary Online as "false, often sensational, information disseminated under the guise of news reporting".

Whether researching on the web for academic or personal purposes, the ability to distinguish fake news from reliable, accurate news sources is an important skill to have.
From IFLA, International Federation of Library Associations

Criteria for website evaluation
created by University Library, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Currency

Is the information up-to-date? Remember that just because the webpage has been updated recently, that doesn't mean that all of the information on the webpage has necessarily been updated. Cross check the information with other sources.

Accuracy

Current information is more likely to be accurate, but not always. Even if it is current, be sure to cross check the information with other sources.

Coverage

Does the website cover the topic thoroughly, and is it comprehensive? If not, do you have other sources you can use to fill in the gaps in coverage? Be sure the source has the kind of coverage of the topic that you want before you decide to use it.

Authority

Who authored the content on the web page? What are their credentials? Are they an expert in the field? Depending upon how you are using this information, you want to be sure that the author is a credible and reliable source of information in the field. One way to determine this is to look at what kinds of websites link to the website you are evaluating. The more credible and authoritative those websites are, the more credible and authoritative the one you are evaluating is likely to be.

Host

Is the host a reputable organization or individual? Remember, the author is not always the host of the website. The author could have some sort of sponsor, and that could mean that there were terms that he/she had to agree to in order to publish on that site. When evaluating for authority, pay attention to the website host or sponsor in addition to the actual author. For example, it is usually best to stay away from information hosted on corporate websites, because for-profit companies can have a hidden agenda that serves their bottom line of profit. On the other hand, the information on a corporate website might meet all of the other criteria here. If the corporation's mission is to spread accurate and objective information, and you can corroborate the information with other sources, it may be acceptable to use. Use your best judgment.

Objectivity

Does the information reflect an author's bias? If the author has a position, is it well reasoned and argued and supported by empirical evidence? If you are going to use a source that is biased, you want to make sure that the position reflected is supported by ample evidence. You also want to acknowledge any bias in your paper or article.

Relevancy

Is the information related to the topic you are researching? You may find something to be interesting, but make sure it has a place in your main argument

Functionality

Is the website easy to navigate and use? You may find good information on a website, but if it's very messy and difficult to find that information, it would make it difficult for your readers to later trace those citations and figure out the exact source and location of the information that you used.

Ads

If the website has a lot of ads (especially if they are particularly prominent or distracting), you may not want to use it as a source. The information may be accurate and authoritative, but the appearance may undermine its credibility. Remember, what will your lecturer or readers think of this website? What does it say about a source of information if it contains advertisements for commercial products and services, for example? Many people might think the information is biased, even if it is not.

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Library Guides: Evaluating Information: Information from the Internet

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Skip to main content It looks like you're using Internet Explorer 11 or older. This website works best with modern browsers such as the latest versions of Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Edge. If you continue with this browser, you may see unexpected results. created by CSU Library, Australia What is fake news?

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Who is the author?

What else has the author written?

In which communities and contexts does the author have expertise?

Does the author represent a particular set of world views?

Do they represent specific gender, sexual, racial, political, social and/or cultural orientations?

Do they privilege some sources of authority over others?

Do they have a formal role in a particular institution (e.g. a professor at Oxford)?

Purpose

Why was this source created?

Does it have an economic value for the author or publisher?

Is it an educational resource? Persuasive?

What (research) questions does it attempt to answer?

Does it strive to be objective?

Does it fill any other personal, professional, or societal needs?

Publication & format

Where was it published?

Where, geographically, was it originally published, and in what language?

In what medium?

Was it published online or in print? Both?

Is it a blog post? A YouTube video? A TV episode? An article from a print magazine?

What does the medium tell you about the intended audience?

What does the medium tell you about the purpose of the piece?

Relevance

How is it relevant to your research?

Does it analyze the primary sources that you're researching?

Does it cover the authors or individuals that you're researching, but different primary texts?

Can you apply the authors' frameworks of analysis to your own research?

What is the scope of coverage?

Is it a general overview or an in-depth analysis?

Does the scope match your own information needs?

Is the time period and geographic region relevant to your research?

Date of Publication

When was the source first published?

What has changed in your field of study since the publication date?

Are there any published reviews, responses or rebuttals?

Documentation

Did they cite their sources?
If not, do you have any other means to verify the reliability of their claims?

Look closely at the quotations and paraphrases from other sources:

Did they appropriately represent the context of their cited sources?

Did they ignore any important elements from their cited sources?

Are they cherry-picking facts to support their own arguments?

Did they appropriately cite ideas that were not their own?

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