There are several factors that contribute to the credibility of the information. To make sure one can trust a particular source, the following things should be checked: its authority, accuracy, objectivity and currency.
Explanation:
Reliability of the information one is looking for is based on several principles. To safely call a source credible one should see if the data there is not older than five years. More often than not the information loses its novelty in this period of time. It is also important to find out the authors’ competence and if they are respected in this particular field of science.
Choosing the internet source, one must keep in mind that it is crucial on what audience it is oriented. The people that are using it the most, e.g. students, scholars, teachers, professionals of certain kind, etc. – determines whether this source is reliable or not. If one is evaluating data for reliability, it is best to check where it is coming from.
There are a number of online libraries and sites that are considered ethical. To distinguish them from unreliable ones, it is vital to filter out websites ending in “.com.co”, as it distributes false information. It is better to stick to those that end in “edu”, “org”, “com”and “gov”. The latter ones will provide readers with valid data on the subject, supported by evidence.
It can be tricky to find a credible source in the variety of websites people have now but it is still possible. Keeping in mind everything that has been said above will make it a lot easier and speed up the process.