Examine your research topic. Decide on the source of the research information. Do you want book sources, Internet sources, or a combination of both? Nonfiction books tend to be more trusted as informational sources than web sources. If web sources are used, seek ones that are peer-reviewed.
Explore the currency of the research information. Find the date of publication. The later the date, the more likely the information will be accurate. The copyright date for published books is found in the first couple of pages. The date for an online article can be found on the title page, and for a website the copyright date is generally at the bottom of the page.
Decide whether the information is relevant to your research topic. Check to see whether the information clarifies understanding of your topic. Also verify whether the information supports your topic and gives valuable information to move your information-gathering process forward.
Investigate the writer's authority. This information can include background information on the writer, editor or website, if necessary. Look for specific evidence that the author is skilled in the presented topic. This may include the author's education, work experience, or other important experiences.
Analyze the accuracy of the information content. Do cross-referencing of sources if necessary. Look at a variety of research sources. If they all agree, then the information is most likely accurate. But be prepared to do extra homework here. Be sure that each source you check for accuracy is also reliable.
Investigate the author's purpose for writing the information. Decide whether the research information you gather was meant to be objective, persuasive or informative. Does the author try to convince the readers to agree with his point of view? Or does the author simply present the information to the readers as factually as possible? The more objective the purpose, the more reliable the research information.