1. Authorship
Check
the author's qualification by whether they are from the academic, business
or and government sector, and explore relevant information accordingly.
For example, if the author is a professor, check her/his professional
web page or the institutional website.
If
the author is unfamiliar, you can use these tools, or you can use a
web search for a particular university, governmental agency or industry
with which the author claims to be affiliated. This helps to establish
the validity of an affiliation the author claims to have.
2. Trend of research
If
an idea or finding with which you are not familiar is posted on the
web, it is wise to access a research database that indexes scholarly
publications to see if such an idea or finding has been discussed before.
However, not being able to find any similar research is not sufficient
to dismiss the validity of a claim, it only means further research is
needed.
Sometimes,
ideas or findings can be communicated through trade journals or the
internet as faster ways to post the information. They might be so new
that no formal research report has yet to be published. It is important
to do more research before you decide on the information's validity.
3. Suspicious elements
a. Solicitation of donations.
b.
Total opposition to historical facts or scientific findings that have
been seriously and extensively researched.
c. No author name posted.
d.
Posted by an entity that might resemble some governmental agency or
commercial corporation, but with unclear content or strange information,
or worst of all, seeming to have a hidden agenda. For example, emphasizing
the nutritional value of a specific product by a specific manufacturer.
