Different types of sources have different types of authority.
- subject expertise
- societal position
- special experience
Look for indicators of authority and credibility.
- well-known scholars
- publications that are considered 'standards' in their field
- author(s) name and background, such as university affliation, are readily available
- cites other sources
- books published by a university press
- articles from academic databases, rather than a popular websites
Authoritative content can be packaged formally or informally, or be available in a variety of media types.
