Authority

Authority is one of the most critical aspects of evaluating information.

Determining Authority

We need to ask who wrote it or published it, and also if we can trust them.

• Does the author have a degree in the field, preferably an advanced degree, like a Masters or PhD? 
• Does the author have experience with this topic, perhaps by employment, participation, or their background and life? 

It is common to encounter websites with no author listed, or if an author is listed, there may be no details about that individual. At that point, we need to look at the organization or group that is publishing or producing the information.

• Is it a recognized and respected news publication or magazine?
• A government organization or agency?
• A political group?  

We should always start with the “About Us” section on the website, but that's not the only information we should use. We can also try a web search with the organization or publisher’s name to find out what other websites say about that group. If we can't determine any information about the responsible party, it may be best to look elsewhere for information. 

The URL (web address) domain can give us insight into who is creating information.

• .gov = U.S. Government
  • Federal Government websites are typically organized by agencies. State governments may use the state postal abbreviation and the .gov extension. For example: .wa.gov is used by Washington state government agencies. Local government may also use this extension, for example seattle.gov 
• .edu = Educational
  • Institutions of Higher Education. Determine who authored the information before accepting it as truth. Even colleges and universities produce marketing materials to promote themselves. Also, some colleges provide web space to students.

These two domains are the most common website types with restricted ownership in the United States. 

Contrary to common belief, .org websites are not restricted to non-profits or organizations. Anyone, including commercial businesses, can create an .org website.  Also, organizations can have .com addresses. 

Evaluation Examples

Weak: "The results and data mentioned in this study are credible because the study was done by one of the reliable cybersecurity companies."

This is an okay start, but this evaluation would be better if we name that company and give a reason why they're a credible source of information on the topic.

Strong: "This source is credible because it's a peer-reviewed article and the author is a professor of computer science at Stanford University."

A peer-reviewed article that we find on the web is a good source to use because it's already been through a process of review before being published. Peer-reviewed articles often give us information about the author's credentials, which we can include in our evaluation.