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When determining whether a source contains reliable information, you want a mix of depth (looking deep at the article/source itself) and breadth (looking across different sources). This is approach equally applicable when evaluating the validity of academic articles, or when looking at news, or social media posts.
Authority
Who is responsible for the creation/upkeep of the webpage? What authority or expertise does the author have?
Currency
When was the page created? When was the page last updated?
Motive
What are the goals and objectives of the page? Is the page trying to get you to buy or believe something?
Research
Are there links to other resources? If so, are those resources reliable?
Design
Is the webpage well organized and easy to navigate? Does the page include help or search sections? Are there pop-ups or a disproportionate number of ads to the content?
(This is also known as the CRAAP test: Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose)
The Chronicle of Higher Ed noted in 2019 that looking in-depth at the single resource (until then the 'gold standard' of analysis) may not be the best way to determine reliability. The article "Students Fall for Misinformation Online. Is Teaching Them To Read Like Fact Checkers the Solution?" talks about how looking at a breadth of sources is just as important as digging deep into the article in question when ascertaining reliability. Looking for multiple studies that confirm or disprove a theory is at the heart of academic research.
