Start with what you already know
When you search for something online, you are looking for information that matches what you typed. The search engine — Google, Bing, or another — finds pages that contain those words and shows you the ones it thinks are most useful. But "most useful" does not always mean "most accurate." Your job is to decide whether the information you find is trustworthy.
Before you search, write down what you already know about the topic. If you are looking up a health symptom, write down when it started and what you have already tried. If you are checking a fact about a company or organisation, write down where you heard it first. This gives you a baseline to compare against what you find.
Start your search with the most specific words you can think of. "How to lower blood pressure" will give you more useful results than "health tips." "Social Security office hours in Denver" will find what you need faster than "government offices."
Key Takeaways
- Check who wrote the information and whether they have real experience or credentials in that field.
- Look for the date the page was published or last updated, because some information changes over time.
- Cross-check important facts on at least two separate websites before you trust them.
- Government websites ending in .gov and official organisation websites are usually more reliable than blogs or forums for factual information.
- If a page promises something that sounds too good to be true — assistance programs, instant cures, may provide results — treat it with extra caution.
Check who wrote it and why
Every page on the internet was written by someone. Find out who. Look at the top or bottom of the page for an author name, an organisation name, or a "Contact Us" section. If you cannot find who wrote it, that is a warning sign.
Once you know who wrote it, ask yourself: Do they have real experience in this field? A page about car repair written by a mechanic with 20 years of experience is more trustworthy than one written by someone who read about cars online. A page about disability benefits written by the Social Security Administration is more trustworthy than one written by a random person on a forum.
Also ask why they wrote it. Is this person trying to sell you something? Are they trying to get you to click ads? Are they pushing a political viewpoint? None of these things automatically make the information wrong, but they give you a reason to check the facts elsewhere before you trust them.
Look for the date and check if it is still current
Information changes. Tax laws change. Medical treatments change. Government office hours change. A page that was accurate in 2015 might be completely wrong now. Look for a publication date or an "updated" date on the page. If you cannot find a date, that is another warning sign.
Even if you find a date, ask yourself whether the information could have changed since then. If you are reading about a law or a government program, check the official government website to see if anything has changed. If you are reading about a medical treatment, check whether there are newer pages with more recent information.
Some websites update their pages regularly and mark the changes clearly. Others publish something once and never touch it again. Pages that are actively maintained are usually more trustworthy than abandoned ones.
Cross-check facts on at least two other sources
If the information matters — if you are making a decision based on it — do not trust just one page. Find the same information on at least two other separate websites. If all three say the same thing, you can be more confident it is accurate. If they disagree, dig deeper.
For government information, go straight to the official website. If you are looking up Social Security rules, go to ssa.gov. If you are looking up Medicare, go to medicare.gov. If you are looking up your state's unemployment program, go to your state's official labor department website. These pages are maintained by the people who actually run the programs, so they are the most reliable source.
For medical information, look for pages from hospitals, universities, or organisations like the Mayo Clinic or the American Heart Association. These are written by medical professionals and are updated when new research comes out. A blog post by someone who is not a doctor is less reliable.
Watch for red flags that signal unreliable information
Some pages are designed to trick you or to sell you something that does not work. Learn to spot the warning signs. If a page promises something that sounds too good to be true — instant weight loss, may provide money, a cure for something doctors say cannot be cured — be very suspicious. If a page uses lots of exclamation marks and urgent language ("Act now!" "Limited time!" "Do not miss out!"), it is probably trying to manipulate you into making a quick decision without thinking.
If a page has lots of ads or pop-ups, or if it keeps trying to get you to click on other pages, the author is probably more interested in making money than in giving you accurate information. If a page has spelling mistakes or broken sentences, that is a sign the author did not take care with their work.
If a page makes a claim but does not explain where the information came from, be cautious. Good pages link to their sources so you can check the original information yourself. If you cannot find sources, you cannot verify whether the claim is true.
Use fact-checking websites when you are unsure
If you find a claim that sounds questionable, you can search for it on a fact-checking website. Snopes.com checks urban legends and viral claims. FactCheck.org checks political claims. PolitiFact.com does the same. These websites investigate claims and tell you whether they are true, false, or partly true.
To use them, go to the website and search for your claim in their search box. If they have already investigated it, they will show you what they found and explain their reasoning. If they have not investigated it, you can try searching for it on a regular search engine along with the word "fact check" to see if anyone else has looked into it.
Fact-checking websites are not perfect, but they are run by journalists and researchers who take accuracy seriously. They show their work so you can see how they reached their conclusion.
Understand the difference between news, opinion, and advertising
Not everything on the internet is presented the same way. News articles report facts and try to be neutral. Opinion pieces argue for a particular viewpoint. Advertisements try to sell you something. Some pages mix these together in ways that are confusing.
A good website clearly labels what is news, what is opinion, and what is advertising. If you are reading an opinion piece, remember that the author is trying to persuade you, not just inform you. If you are reading an advertisement, remember that the company is trying to make money from you. Neither of these things is wrong, but you should know what you are reading.
Some websites blur these lines on purpose. They might write something that looks like a news article but is actually advertising for a product. They might present opinion as fact. When you are not sure what you are reading, look for the author's name and the publication date, and ask yourself what the author or website has to gain from you believing this information.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I know if a website is official?
Official government websites end in .gov. Official websites for large organisations often end in .org or .com and have the organisation's name in the web address. Look for "About Us" sections that explain the organisation's mission. If you are not sure, search for the organisation's name plus "official website" to find the real one.
What should I do if I find conflicting information on different websites?
Find a third source to break the tie. If it is a government or legal matter, go to the official government website. If it is medical, check a hospital or university website. If you still cannot find agreement, the information might be genuinely unclear or changing, and you may need to contact the organisation directly.
Are Wikipedia pages trustworthy?
Wikipedia is written by volunteers and can be edited by anyone, so it is not always accurate. However, popular Wikipedia pages are reviewed by many people and usually contain good information. Use Wikipedia as a starting point to learn about a topic, but cross-check important facts on other sources before you rely on them.
How can I tell if a health website is giving me good information?
Look for pages written by doctors, hospitals, or health organisations. Check whether the page cites medical research or studies. Be suspicious of pages that claim to cure serious diseases or that tell you to stop taking medicine prescribed by your doctor. If you have a health question, your own doctor is always the most trustworthy source.
What if I cannot find information about something I need to know?
If you search multiple ways and cannot find the answer, contact the organisation directly. Call their phone number, visit their office, or use their contact form. Government agencies, hospitals, and large organisations have staff whose job is to answer questions from the public.