How do you know if a website is trustworthy and reliable?

Answer 1

If you see that many people went on it, it is pretty reliable. Take a look at the date, it could be information back in 1990s!

If what they say, it doesnt make sense, it's probably not true.

If the URL ends with '.net' or '.org', it's probably ok. Just use your own judgement, and try not to use websites with a ~ symbol in the URL.

Also, at the bottom of the website, you can look for the copyright! If it says, copyright, 2009, or 2010 it is pretty up to date.

Answer 2

Organizations and governments are normally more reliable than independent or personal websites. But even these can have biased or one-sided information.

If the information is from a primary source (i.e., an eyewitness account from a book), you just have to be careful of bias; everyone has his or her own perspective.

Wikipedia is okay, but check the sources that it uses at the bottom of the page.

Answer 3

A good indication of whether or not you can trust a website is their popularity and rating on search engines - smaller, lesser-known websites are usually not as reliable as those that are established and well-known. However, do not make the mistake that Wikipedia is always correct - as the website is Wiki-based (much like WikiAnswers), its content cannot always be 100% correct. If you are going to use Wikipedia, it is helpful to look at the citations part of the page, to see where the information was sourced from.

Well, does it have a security certificate?

Also look to see if it is compliance with web standards.

popups and ads, if it tries to install objects onto your computer.

AVG automatically scans sites and tells you if it has malicious scripts or bugs on it.

Also, stay away from sites you have no business being on, such as warez and porn. A lot of porn sites can and will install cookies and trackers to your system if you're not paying attention.

If you have to worry about the site you are visiting then you probably cannot trust it.

Answer 4

You can tell by using a computer protection program, using a good web browser which will flag up bad and unsafe sites, and your own judgement.

Look at the URL and make sure that the domain name is the same as the website you want to visit. You can also do a 'whois' search to find out who owns the domain name. If the website is owned by a well-known, reliable company or organization, such as WebMD, Procter & Gamble, Target, US Bank, etc., then the website reliable.

Check out the author of the website or the article. If no author is listed, be suspicious of the website. If an author is listed, check out their reputation.

Look for the purpose of the website and at the quality of the information. Check to see if other sources are cited. Look at the links on the website and if they are reliable. If the purpose of the website seems to be to sell you something rather than provide information, it may not be reliable.

Look at the design of the website to see if it is cluttered with advertising or is professionally designed.

Also check for dates on the website. The information provided may be too old. If there is no date, then it is difficult to know if the information is current.

You can also look for lists of reliable websites such as the Ask Bob Rankin "Free Online Research Tools" (see Related Links).

Answer 5

There are many ways to judge the reliability of a website. Check for dates on the site. If the site hasn’t been updated for years, it’s probably safe to assume the site is outdated. If you’re concerned about a website’s security, check to see if the site has an SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate. You can identify an SSL certificate in the browser – if “https” is displayed before the site’s domain name (https://www.coolexample.com) and if you see a padlock icon, the site has an SSL certificate. Website owners who value visitor security will secure their websites with an SSL certificate.

Answer 6

One of the ways, is to download a addon for Mozilla Firefox browser called W.O.T.(web of trust).

Answer 7

it depends on the topic.