What are five things that ensure you’re studying credible information in books AND on the internet?

1. common sense

2. common sense

3. common sense

4. common sense

5. common sense

Check who the author is. Are they well known in their field, did they write any educational material (textbooks, articles in journals) or are they on the staff of a college/university?

Go to sites you know are reputable, for example – government (federal, state, local), schools and colleges, museums and historical societies, major organizations (National Org. for Women, NAACP, Republican National Committee), Newspapers (NY Times, Chicago Sun Times, LA Times), Libraries.

Ask yourself does the material in the book corroborate with information you can find elsewhere. Is it too “one-sided” (although in certain situations this is possible) or not make sense?

Does the website tell you where they got the information from? Can you verify it?

Use your gut, if it does not sound right, it may not be. Ask your teacher, parents or a knowledgeable person.

Look for an extensive list of sources

Try to stick to .edu sites (though that isn’t a guarantee)

Look at who the author is – Dr. So-and-so Phd.

Also look to see if the author could be considered an expert in the field (for example, Bill with a Phd in Biology might be smart, but should I cite him for a book he wrote on History?)

Check the location for credibility – good sources would be academic journals

The main thing is, do you see a bias one way or another? Is the author stating guesses or theories as fact? You may want to stay away from that. Also, look at the bibliography – how much research did the author do to back up their findings?

In books, an extensive reference list, the author’s research.

Internet, usually I only use sites created by the government or by colleges/schools. Most of my research is not online, however. I stick to books and magazines as much as I can.