How do I know which online sources are credible for my article or blog post?

To find credible online sources for your article or blog post, follow these simple steps:

1. Check the Author: Look for information about the author. Are they an expert or have relevant qualifications?

2. Look at the Website: Trustworthy websites often have .edu, .gov, or .org extensions. Reputable news sites and established magazines can also be reliable.

3. Check the Date: Make sure the information is up-to-date, especially for topics that change quickly.

4. Verify the Information: See if other reliable sources say the same thing. If multiple trusted places report the same facts, it's more likely to be true.

5. Look for Citations: Credible articles usually reference their sources. Check these references to ensure they are reliable too.

6. Read Reviews or Feedback: See if others find the site useful and credible. Reviews can give you insights into the site’s reputation.

7. Avoid Bias: Be cautious of sources that seem very one-sided or promote a specific agenda without evidence.

By following these steps, you can better identify credible sources for your writing.

To find credible online sources for your article or blog post:

1. Check the Author: Make sure the writer or organization is an expert on the topic.

2. Use Trusted Websites: Stick to reputable sources like official websites, academic journals, or well-known publications.

3. Look for Evidence: Reliable sources include data, research, or citations. Cross-check the information with other trusted sources.

4. Check the Purpose: Avoid sites that push ads, sales, or biased opinions. Credible sites aim to inform.

5. Verify the Date: Ensure the information is recent, especially for topics that change often.

6. Fact-Check: Use tools like Snopes or FactCheck.org to confirm claims.

These steps will help you find reliable and accurate information.

There are a lot of bad actors who are using the internet to push out information that is not correct. I suggest the following:

Evaluate the Source’s Reputation

Use sources from well-established organizations, such as reputable news organizations (e.g., The New York Times, BBC, The Washington Post), academic journals, government websites, and respected research institutions (e.g., Pew Research Center, World Health Organization).

Be cautious with sources that are less known or have a clear bias, as they may lack rigorous fact-checking or may prioritize opinion over verified information.

ChatGPT now lets you search the internet to find exactly what you need. Just type in the topic you're exploring or the specific stat you're looking for, and it’ll pull up sources with matching stats, even based on the country you want. It’s a simple way to get accurate info quickly. Work smarter, not harder.  

If you are going to credit a source in your writing, then you have to be extremely careful. Your work is only as reliable as the sources you base it on.

• Research the sources you use. Are they household names? Are they well-respected? Will people trust them when you credit them or laugh at your attempt to link to Wikipedia?
• Original sources only. I see this so often. People credit an article as their source, but that article isn't even the original source of the information. If an article credits someone else, they are not the original source. Always track down the original and credit them.
• Where is the information from? Does the info come from a quote? A book? A study? It's always good to be clear about the format of your sources.
• Is the information up-to-date? Linking to sources from articles and studies conducted 37 years ago doesn't really add much to your work. In fact, it dates it. You should look for as up-to-date sources as possible.
• ALWAYS DOUBLE AND TRIPLE CHECK.
• Reach out to sources to clarify any questions if needed.
• Don't be afraid to edit or delete if you find out a source is not quite as accurate as you thought it was.

Audience. Audience. Audience. 

I can't stress the importance of knowing your audience enough. And that's not to say that some audiences deserve credible sources while others don't. However, what's credible to some won't necessarily be credible to others. 

For instance, if you were writing a blog post on behalf of a yogi who firmly believes that holistic healing trumps modern medicine any day of the week, you're not going to cite The New England Journal of Medicine. You're probably going to cite someone like Ada Ooi. 

Now, the common thread with either source is that they're both well-known in their respective fields of study. So, that's a non-negotiable. Credibility is a must no matter who the audience is.

Of course, where studies are concerned, you'll want to consider the size of the sample frame and/or focus group. I've seen people cite studies with the tiniest sample groups one too many times while editing. Sure, it's easy enough to head to Google Scholar or JSTOR (or any major academic search engine) and use the first source you find in a search, but if you want to really add value to the world of writing (and the copious amounts of text on the internet), you'll check those sources and all aspects of them to boot. 

One last little tidbit. Do not source other articles as potential references. They've cited the original sources, so if you want to find the good stuff, scroll all the way to the bottom of the article and find the original sources. You can definitely get inspo from reading a fellow writer's article but try to cite the original source.

This is a great question! As a journalist, I deal with source credibility a lot, and here's my method for verifying source credibility:

1. Check the Author's Credentials – Look at who wrote the content. Are they an expert in the field? Do they have relevant qualifications or a history of credible work? For example, if you’re writing about financial advice, a source written by a certified financial planner or economist is more credible than one written by a random blogger or a contributor on Reddit or Quora.
2. Consider the Domain – The website's domain can give you a clue about its credibility. Educational (.edu), government (.gov), and some non-profit organisations (.org) typically offer reliable information (but not 100% of the time, so keep that in mind). Industry authority websites are also great sources of official information, and articles from reputable news organisations (like Forbes) can be great sources too.
3. Look for Citations and References – Reliable sources often back up their information with data, studies, and references to reputable sources. For instance, an article on health should cite medical research or expert opinions from recognised institutions like the NHS or the Mayo Clinic. But be sure to go to the original source to verify the information. Even if you found a Forbes article quoting a study, be sure to click through to the study and read it yourself. That way, the study becomes your source rather than the news article that helped you find the study.
4. Check for Bias and Objectivity – Consider whether the source has a particular agenda or bias. Balanced articles that present multiple viewpoints are generally more credible. For example, if you’re writing about climate change, an article that acknowledges different perspectives but relies on scientific consensus is more trustworthy than one that pushes a single agenda. Always try to look at a topic from different angles. Always.
5. Review the Publication Date – Information can become outdated, especially in rapidly changing fields like technology or medicine. Ensure the source is current and reflects the latest research or data. A blog post from 2015 about social media trends isn’t as valuable as a more recent one.
6. Cross-Verify Information – This is one of the most important points on this list. Use multiple sources to confirm facts. If several credible sources agree on a point, it's more likely to be accurate. For example, if you find consistent data on multiple respected news sites or academic papers, it adds to the credibility of that information. And, as I've said in point 3, always try to get to the original study and quote that.

Get into the habit of following all of the above, and your resulting articles and blog posts will be both credible and reliable. Unfortunately, there's no shortcut for this, but you will get faster as you practice.