Excellent resources reside along side the most dubious. Let the reader beware . This document discusses the criteria by which scholars in most fields evaluate print information, and shows how the same criteria can be used to assess information found on the Internet. Information is intellectual property, and intellectual property is protected by the law. There are certain criteria that should be applied when evaluating all forms of information, be it in print, on film, or electronic.
Authorship is perhaps the major criterion used in evaluating information.
When we look for information with some type of critical value, we want to know the basis of the authority with which the author speaks. An e- mail address alone gives you no more information than you already have. The publishing body also helps evaluate any kind of document you may be reading. In the print universe, this generally means that the author's manuscript has undergone screening in order to verify that it meets the standards or aims of the organization that serves as publisher. This may include peer review.