These are some questions you can ask yourself to determine the reliability of a resource.
Relevance
- Is the document directly related to your research topic?
- Is the information at correct level for your assignment?
Authority
- Is the information from a scholarly peer-reviewed source?
- Who is the author(s)?
- Is the author a recognized authority in this field?
- What are author's credentials?
- Is this author cited by other researchers in this area?
- What is the authors affiliation?
- Is contact information for the author provided?
- Who is the publisher and are they know for publishing information on the subject?
Timeliness/Currency
- Date of publication?
- Is information current and up-to-date?
Validity/Accuracy
- Is the the research methodology employed by the author provided?
- Is it a sound search methodology employed by other research in the field?
- Does the author include a literature review?
- Is there a reference list of cited works?
Argument
- Does the author provide a clearly reasoned argument supported by identifiable logic, facts and data?
- Does the author consider alternate interpretations of the evidence?
Bias/Objectivity
- Does the author appear to have any identifiable bias?
- Has the author omitted and relevant information or data that other people writing on the subject have included?
- Is the author affiliated with a group, business or organization that is selling something?
- Where did the author's research funding come from?
Citations & Reference List
- Has the author included citations to the information that they have used to create their article?
- Does the author provide a Reference List for the citations used in the article?
