Final answer:
To ascertain whether an authority is credible, investigate the author or organization's expertise and any agendas, and apply the CRAAP test to evaluate the information's currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose.
Step-by-step explanation:
When seeking to determine whether or not an authority is credible, two critical aspects should be investigated. First, check the author or organization publishing the information to gauge their expertise and potential agenda. Articles with neutral expertise and those authored by individuals with relevant and significant credentials in their field are generally more credible. For instance, medical information written by a doctor is likely more credible than that written by a political lobbyist due to specialized expertise.
Secondly, the credibility of the source material can be assessed using the CRAAP test, which stands for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose. This includes evaluating the currency of the information, its relevance to your needs, the authority of the author or organization, the accuracy of the presented details, and the purpose of the information. Newspaper articles or credible websites can be good sources of current facts, but always corroborate this information with more rigorous, in-depth sources and an unbiased examination of the logic and evidence presented.