Have you ever done online research only to find questionable sources? Unreliable content? How did you know? What questions did you ask of the sources?

Yes, I have encountered questionable sources and unreliable content during online research. Here's how I identified them and the questions I asked:

1. Check the Source's Credibility: I looked at the domain name. Educational (.edu), governmental (.gov), and organizational (.org) websites are generally more reliable than commercial (.com) sites. However, this is not a hard and fast rule as there are many credible .com sites as well.

2. Author's Credentials: I checked if the author's credentials were mentioned. A credible source usually has an author who is an expert on the subject matter.

3. Date of Publication: I checked the date of the article or study. In some fields, like medicine or technology, information can become outdated quickly.

4. References and Citations: Reliable sources usually cite their information. I checked if there were references or a bibliography at the end of the article.

5. Bias and Objectivity: I evaluated if the source was biased. If it seemed to favor one side of an argument without acknowledging the other, it might not be reliable.

6. Cross-Verification: I cross-verified the information with other sources. If the same information appeared in multiple credible sources, it was likely to be reliable.

The questions I asked were:

• Who is the author and what are their credentials?
• When was this source published or last updated?
• Does the source cite its information? Can I find these citations elsewhere?
• Does the source seem biased?
• Can I find the same information in other credible sources?