Strategies to help determine if a source of information is reliable?

• Author credentials can often be determined by examining:
  - biographical information (found in the introductory pages or at the end of a publication)
  - author credentials listed after their name
  - footnotes. They often provide details of an authors position and/or institution affiliation
  
  
• Bias can often be detected by:
  - checking the aims of a publication in the preface, introduction or abstract
  - reading more than one source of information. Bias becomes more obvious when compared to other viewpoints
  
  
• Check the references in the bibliography. Are they from an authoritative source?
  
  
• Search an author in a citation database (e.g. Web of Science) to check how often they are cited. Frequent citations may indicate the author is well respected in their area of research.

Exercise : Is it reliable?

Click on the article icon below and answer the questions

Evaluating websites