This type of source is created by experts and checked before publishing.
What is a credible source?
This is a red flag when a website has no author listed.
What is lack of accountability?
Wikipedia is useful for overview but weak for this reason in formal research.
What is it can be edited by anyone?
This question checks authority: “Who is the ____?”
What is the author?
A government labour statistics website.
What is credible?
This process checks facts before information is published.
What is fact-checking or peer review?
Headlines written in ALL CAPS with lots of !!! often show this.
What is clickbait or unreliable information?
Peer-reviewed journals are considered this level of credibility.
What is highly credible?
This question checks purpose: “Why was this created — to inform, sell, or ____?”
What is persuade?
A TikTok video making claims with no sources listed.
What is not credible?
Government and university websites often end with these domain types.
What are .gov and .edu?
If a source tries to strongly sell you something while giving “facts,” it may show this bias.
What is commercial bias?
Personal blogs are usually considered this level of reliability.
What is low or variable credibility?
This question checks evidence: “Does it include data, references, or ____?”
What are sources?
A university research report with references.
What is credible?
This makes a source more credible: clear author name, qualifications, and this word meaning where information came from.
What are references or citations?
Information with no date can be a problem because of this credibility issue.
What is being outdated?
News from established organisations with editorial standards is usually considered this.
What is generally credible?
Looking at multiple sources to confirm information is called this.
What is cross-checking?
A website selling job data and the secrets the employers don't want you to know?
What is not credible?
Information that is current and recently updated shows this credibility factor.
What is currency?
If a claim cannot be found anywhere else, it lacks this verification principle.
What is corroboration (confirmation from other sources)?
Social media posts should always be treated with this research action first.
What is verify or fact-check?
Checking the web address and organisation behind a site is checking this.
What is domain credibility?
An article confirmed by three independent news organisations.