Is the information related to your research topic?

Does the information address some aspect of your research question?

Is the author's name frequently mentioned in your research?

Does the author have expertise in the subject area he/she is writing about?

Is there an author listed? (if not, be cautious!)

Is the information written by a well-established organization?

Is the information supported with sufficient evidence?

Is this evidence included in a Works Cited list at the end of the book or article?

Is the information supported with sufficient evidence?

Is this evidence documented somewhere on the page?

How does the URL (web address) end? Check the end of the URL -- websites that end in ".gov" (government) or ".edu (educational) are generally more reliable than websites that end in ".com" (commercial).

Information recently written or revised is generally more accurate than material that is out of date, so determine:

Is the information up to date?

When was it written? (check the year of publication).

Can you find a "last updated" or "last modified" date at the bottom of the page?

If you don't know when the information was written, you need to be careful! It may be either inaccurate or out of date.