Ask yourself:
Who wrote the material?Is there a name attached to the piece? This question could become very important when dealing with sensitive, biased, or scientific material. Also, many magazines have staff writers and either do not assign bylines, or code articles with initials. In that case evaluate the reputation of the magazine.What are the author's qualifications for writing on this subject?Firstly, is the author writing in his or her field? If the author is not, and is considered to controversial, there will probably be articles on the author (e.g. a physicist writing about cloning). If the author is an amateur, what is their reputation among the credentialed experts?
Is he or she connected with an organization that has an established reputation?A reputation can be good or bad. If the author has a degree, is it from a presigious institution or from a mail order degree mill? Can the institution be contacted and confirm the author's statements of credentials. Also, can the author be contacted?