Reliability of information on the Internet refers most often to time issues. Is the information up to date? Will it remain up to date for the duration of the information product you or your students are producing? If information is time sensitive, then the author should include a date published and/or a date last revised. If this information is not provided and the information is worthy of further investigation, you can look for contact information on the author and use e-mail to seek these dates directly from the author.

Credibility refers more to the origins of the information. Does the author and/or the publishing organization have the authority to present the information? There should be information about the author or links to a web page that presents his or her credentials. Along with these credentials should be links to other documents that have been published by the author. This should be examined as well for consistency. Also look for information about the publisher, the organization that is making the information available. This might be a university, research center, government agency, or a corporation. Make sure that the organization has an interest in providing the best information to consumers.