Credible and Reliable Sources
Author
Go to the About Us page and look for any way to contact the author. Try emailing them to see if the website it real.
Accurate Information
Bias
Date
Scroll to the bottom of the homepage to look for a sign of an author ro go to the About Us page.
Does the author belong to any organizations, like .gov, .edu or .org? If so, is the author actually a part the organization or are they just posting on an organizations website.
Older websites are better for older topics for example, a website over Helen Keller. However newer topics like, ___, need newer websites.
If the topic is constanly changing, for example, how much money Americans spend on Halloween, the website is more relevant newer.
How old is the website?
Is there a date for when it was published? Is the date too old to be trusted?
Is the author an expert or someone doing a school project?
Does the author cite their sources? If so, are the websites they cited accurate?
Are they trying to convice you to believe one thing rather than another? Or to lean to one side of a contreversal topic?
What is the author's viewpoint?
Is the author wanting to inform or sell? This means, is the author wanting to give infomation to reader for no specific purpose or are they tyring to convice you to buy something they are selling to make money?
Are they an expert on the information they are talking about? Are they just a child working on a school project?
Are there multiple websites telling you the same information? This makes that piece of information very reliable.
A website example with a reliable author is:
http://www.kansascity.com/news/nation-world/article180505341.html
A website example for accurate information is:
http://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/wildlife/animals/penguins/emperor-penguins
A website that does not have bias:
https://www.timeforkids.com/g56/exercise-benefits/
A website that has recent and up to date information:https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/us.html
The website I chose was the CIA Worldfactbook. Statistics on countries are always changing and this website keeps it up to date. The page about the United States was last updated on October 19, 2017 which was 5 days ago. I found this right below the country's name on the website. This update day is constiasant because it says the same day on 5 other countries. Therefore this website has up to date and accurate information which is good when researching.
Time for Kids does not contain bias in their article because there are no ADs that try to sell the readers something. This tells you they are focused more on giving out information than earning money. The article is also not pursasive or trying to get someone to exercise, it is just saying the benifits of exercising.
This source has a reliable author because it gives them credit and gives their email if any questions were to come up. Also they work for a very big company in the Kansas City area since a lot of people read the articles. Therefore they would hire hardworking and trustworthy authors. Although it is a .com website, this author is still very reliable.
This is an accurate website because it links to another website about penguins and cites the photographer who took all of the photos. Also I was able to find the same information on emperor penguins food in another website as well as this one. The article was also made this year. Therefore this is a reliable source with accurate information.
Overall a credible and reliable source would be: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017/10/dogs-cats-clean-licking-bacteria-health-science/
This is both a reliable and credible source. This article was posted today, October 24, 2017, making the date trustworthy since the information is new. Another reason why the informtaion is accurate is because they have a real life expericence incorperated into the article and a quote from ABC News in Australia. This source also gives the author's name and if you click on it, more background information about them comes up. This author is an online science editor, making them an expert in what they are talking about as well as experienced. Also she was hired by a company whose articles are read worldwide. Since it is such a big company, they wouldn't hire someone inexperianced and has no idea what they are doing. Finally this article is not bias because it states the stories and facts as they are without any opinions on the author's viewpoint. In conclusion, this National Geographic article is reliable and crediable.