Evaluating a source by authority means that you are asking: Does the author have expertise on the topic about which he/she is writing?
When considering authority, ask yourself
- Who is the author? Is he or she a subject expert on the topic? What are the author's credentials?
- Is the source sponsored or published by a reputable organization or institution?
- Is the author the original creator of the information?
Where should you look to determine the authority of a source?
Print & Database Sources
- Examine or look up the author's credentials and affiliations
- Try to find more sources written by the author(s) and examine them - are they scholarly?
- Look for the author's contact information
- Examine the publisher's credentials
Websites
- Examine or look up the author's credentials and affiliations
- Try to find more sources written by the author(s) and examine them - are they scholarly?
- Look for the author's contact information​
- Examine the domain extension (i.e. .com, .edu)
What to avoid
- Authors who have no credentials or affiliations, no expertise on the topic
- Personal websites. These are usually indicated by the text (e.g. "Personal Homepage Of..."), by specific characters in the web address (e.g. the use of a tilde ~), or by a username in the web address (e.g. ~jsmith).
