The internet has made research faster, but it has not made every claim more reliable. News reports, company pages, academic summaries, social media posts, and search results can all present useful information, yet they differ considerably in purpose and standards of evidence. Evaluating an online source requires more than judging its appearance or accepting the first result returned by a search engine. Start with the Source The first step is to identify who produced the material. Look for an author, publisher, organization, or institution that can be held accountable for the information. A named author with relevant qualifications is generally easier [...]