Otis College LibGuides: Annotations and Evaluating Sources: -- Authority / Credibility

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)

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.

Authority Is Constructed and Contextual

This framework refers to a recognition that information resources are drawn from a creator's expertise and 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.

Criteria for Evaluating Information

Fake News

Who Made It?

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?