Evaluating Research:
Author
The author of the publication is the first thing to consider when evaluating the credibility of your source. There are three items you need to consider:
- Credentials
- Reputation
- Bias
Special Notes on Web Pages
Sometimes it is difficult--if not impossible--to determine the authorship of web pages because a person's name is not listed.
Example 1: Author's Name is Found on Different Page
Sometimes you need to search the web site in order to determine the author's name.
Example 2: There is No Author or Institutional Affiliation
A page that includes no author's name or institutional affiliation should not be considered credible unless you know--from previous research--that the information on the page is credible.
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