Use physical media such as books and scholarly newsletters which may even be posted online. These materials are the most reliable source of information since they are often peer reviewed. Check your school or local library, which may own these materials.
Have a preference for Internet sites ending in ".gov" or ".edu." Government and education websites are more likely to have reliable information.
Avoid information that is out of date. Some subjects may be outdated in a year while others are still usable after 10 years. Subjects that are quickly outdated may include science, technology or any of the latest trends.
Look for author credentials such as degrees, published work in scholarly journals or relevant employment showing specialization in their field.
Check the article's references for a balance of physical media and Internet sources. Also, look to see if the references look scholarly.
Avoid personal web pages and sites such as Wikipedia. However, these sites may be used to find other sources of information in the works cited section. Some of these websites may list scholarly information in their references and can help you find the right information.