The Value of Information

Not all information is created equal and that is especially true if you are researching online. Finding credible sources is becoming more complicated as sites become more sophisticated in appearance and style. Many internet sites which claim to be the experts in a given field are actually amateur blog sites or sites created to drive traffic in a certain direction – without any real or relevant credentials. So how then does one determine the legitimacy and credibility of a website?

Some reliable indicators are the site owners, writers and reviews. Site owners that are listed are clearly open about who they are, although not always about the interests they represent or about the particular bias they may hold or wish to sell. For example a company that sells dog food and owns an animal health and veterinary website clearly has a probable interest in promoting certain products. In all likelihood the site has been created for that sole purpose. There is nothing to prevent site owners from hiring writers without expertise in the areas of animal health or vet practices.

There is a telltale sign when this is the case and that is the lack of writer credit. Writers who have done their research and have written worthy content are usually happy to take credit for their writing. Website owners on the other hand would rather have you assume the expertise of their writers and will often list the articles as written by admin or they will simply not include any author information.

As a rule, sites that cite author names that you can identify and research are more likely to contain professional well researched information. Websites that do not offer any information with regard to sources, writers, or website owners shouldn’t be used as sources. In fact even if you wanted to, the citation information would be insufficient for most citation styles.