• A = Author and accuracy
  • Who wrote or otherwise created the material? Is s/he an expert in the field? What are his or her credentials? Does s/he work for an organization? Is it reliable? 
  • Are there any glaring factual errors? Grammatical or spelling errors? (maybe)
• B = Bias
  • People create materials for various reasons: to provide information, to push an opinion, to sell something, or just to be funny, to name a few. What is the purpose of this material, and does that tell you anything about possible bias? Does the author present a balanced point of view? Are there any obvious conflicts of interest? Is the tone objective, or is it emotional?
  • Recognize your own bias, too! Do you believe what you're seeing/hearing/reading simply because you want to? Because it fits in with your preconceived notions?
• C = Currency, coverage, and credibility
  • How current is the material? What is an acceptable date range for your topic area?
  • Is coverage of the topic in depth, or is it shallow? Does information seem to be missing?
  • For research studies, is the methodology sound? What does that say about the credibility of the findings?
• D = Documentation and duplication
  • Does the author cite his or her sources? Are they credible? 
  • Can you find the same information in any other source? If you read it first on social media, can you also find it on the news or in a journal article? If research findings, have they been replicated with the same results?

Healthy skepticism is a good thing. 

If you can't answer these questions, investigate!

You must determine what is appropriate for your topic area or assignment.

Use the ABCDs holistically.

This is one of the first things I found when googling my topic. With the ABCDs in mind, do you think I should use it in my list of references?

Somatic Flashbacks and Trauma: How Your Body Holds on to Painful Memories

--From ACRL's Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education

"Information resources reflect their creators’ expertise and credibility, and are evaluated based on the information need and the context in which the information will be used. Authority is constructed in that various communities may recognize different types of authority. It is contextual in that the information need may help to determine the level of authority required."

"[Information consumers] should view authority with an attitude of informed skepticism and an openness to new perspectives, additional voices, and changes in schools of thought.... [Information consumers]...acknowledge biases that privilege some sources of authority over others, especially in terms of others’ worldviews, gender, sexual orientation, and cultural orientations."

1. Are you an author?

2. If you were to research bipolar disorder, what criteria or credentials would you look for in order to consider an author an authority on the subject?

3. Where would these authors share their ideas?

4. If you could guess (or if you know) the name of a source that would contain information about your topic, what would it be? (e.g., journal, magazine, newspaper, blog, website, podcast, video etc.). Be specific.

5. What other criteria might you use to determine if a particular source is credible?