Top 10 List
1. Always read the URL (domain). If it ends in .gov, .edu, .org, etc. Then it should be pretty reliable. It must be coming from a government, educational, or legitimate entity.
2. Trusted news sources such as CNN.com and FoxNews.com are reliable because they are reporting the news.
3. Scholarly sources like LexisNexis are also good sources because they are educational and have journals and magazines you can research.
4. Also, check to make sure that the site you are checking, looks professional. You do not want to get information from a site that has words misspelled, grammatical errors, or is bright and flashy.
5. Check to see who is writing the information, if it isn’t easy to figure that out, then it may not be so reliable.
6. Also, find out if the information is neutral. You do not want to use bias information, all you want are the facts.
7. Do not use Wikipedia. It is a good starting point, but since anyone can write on it, then it may not be accurate.
8. Make sure that you do not go to someone’s personal website which will contain their opinion.
9. Look for other signs, like (About Us, Contact Us, Careers, Background, Biography, etc.).
10. Make sure to check that the information is not outdated.
Sources that were used to compile this list:
http://websearch.about.com/od/referencesearch/a/evaluatesource_2.htm
http://online-student-resources.suite101.com/article.cfm/wikipedias_credibility
http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html
