Annotations and Evaluating Sources

Authority / Credibility

"Credibility is based on the information need and the context in which the information will be used. Authority should be viewed with an attitude of informed skepticism and an openness to new perspectives, additional voices, and changes in schools of thought." —ACRL, "Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education" (2015).

Who wrote or otherwise created the source? Who published it?

Credibility can be determined through the combination of different factors:

• Author(s) and their credentials
• Publisher(s) and their credentials
• Purpose and point of view
• Type of information and format
• Intended audience

Trust is built through credibility.

One way to help determine credibility is to look at who created the content. Do a little research on the author or publisher.

• Do they have expertise in the subject area?
• Do they have any education degrees, such as a PhD?
• If so, are those degrees relevant to the subject at hand? is there a named author?
• How easy is it to find out information about the authors?

Very closely related is the publisher.

• Who are they?
• Why are they publishing it?
• Do they tend to present content through a specific lens or bias?

Authority is Constructed and Contextual

It is important to recognize that information resources are drawn from a creator's expertise, and credibility is based on the information needed and the context in which the information will be used. Authority should be viewed with an attitude of informed skepticism and an openness to new perspectives, additional voices, and changes in schools of thought.

Related Guides:
Criteria for Evaluating Information
Fake News