Authorship

What authority does the author speak from?  

• Biographical information, including position and experience
• Institutional affiliation
• Education and how the author is regarded in their field of study

Accuracy

What gives this information validation?  

• How the data is organized 
• Research methods used to gather and interpret the information 
• Methodology appropriate for the topic
• Can the study be duplicated 
• Sources are noted and retrievable

Point of View or Bias

Check the URL to determine if the organization has a stake in the issue at hand.

• If the information is from a corporation it will be presented in a positive light
• Products produced or sold will be for advertisement
• Political website determine if the information is from the opposition, etc.
• Internet, due to its structure self publication is easy, allowing for a vast variety of points of views 

Knowledge of the Literature

This helps to evaluate the author's scholarship or knowledge of trends in their area of study.

• Bibliography
• Information makes sense
• Author discusses values or limitations of research

Currency

How timely is the information?

• Date of publication, authorship or historical record 
• Library databases include subject headings, abstracts and index permanent and reliable information
• Web information needs to be vetted
  • Possible investigative sources: 
  • Pay for Placement from Search enginewatch.com for top space advertisement sellers 
  • Search Engine Showdown check the frequency of search engine is updates and how it finds information  written by Greg R. Notes. 

Publishing Body

Is this information screened through peer review?

• Document part of an official academic or scholarly web site 
• If the website seems questionable 
  • Check the URL and if this organization is not recognized in your field of study
  • Identify the server with dnslookup and whois,
  • If it resides in an individuals' personal internet account (which should be approached with great caution) through Understanding and Decoding URLs

(2016, November)  Evaluating Information from Johns Hopkins University's research tools. Retrieved from http://guides.library.jhu.edu/c.php?g=202581&p=1334914

• Evaluating Web Content
  A guide to judging the reliability of web information, including blogs and social media sites. From SUNY/Albany.

[Libncsu]. (2015, June 9). Evaluating Sources for Credibility [Video File]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/PLTOVoHbH5c

All information, whether in print or by byte, needs to be evaluated by readers for authority, appropriateness, and other personal criteria for value. If you find information that is "too good to be true", it probably is. Never use information that you cannot verify. Establishing and learning criteria to filter information you find on the Internet is a good beginning for becoming a critical consumer of information in all forms. "Cast a cold eye" (as Yeats wrote) on everything you read. Question it. Look for other sources that can authenticate or corroborate what you find. Learn to be skeptical and then learn to trust your instincts.

— from Evaluating Information from Johns Hopkins University's research tools.  

(2016, November) Evaluating Information from Johns Hopkins University's research tools. Retrieved from http://guides.library.jhu.edu/c.php?g=202581&p=1334914