Reliability of information

Reliable information is information that you can trust and you know that it will be reliable. If you aren't the source or the source is someone that you don't trust then this a big chance that the information could be unreliable. However, if the information is reliable then the individual might trust it without doing any of their own research. 

When thinking about the reliability of information there are many things to consider like:

Who is the author or sponsor of the page? - This means that the page linked to the information like the business or individuals should be identified. A page created by a person or a business that doesn't provide this information isn't a good source to get information from.

Is the information primary or secondary? - The further away from the primary sources your own sources are, the less reliable the information is. For example, if there is an article on a subject then this is primary information but then if it is a newsgroup discussing the subject then this makes it secondary information.

Also if the individual is worried about the information lacking credibility the person should start with information that they know is reputable. 

Finally, remember that even though a page might not meet your standards as a cit-able source, it may help you generate good ideas or point to other usable sources. Also the individual shouldn't use the first page they find and they should do some comparing so they have many points to reference.