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... there are basically two methods to judge the accuracy of information.
* Method 1) check it yourself, from scratch
* Method 2) develop some rules of thumb to correlate the accuracy to other
factors.
Since we have progressed way too far for any one person to check any
significant amount of info at any fundamental level, we rely almost
entirely on Method 2.
When reading an article that has been *published* in Phys Rev, I place a
great deal of trust in the accuracy for two reasons. I) I have personally
seen a great deal of accuracy in the articles that I have look at closely.
I may just have gotten lucky and most of the articles are way off base, but
the odds are way against it. II) I know that two someones like John D have
already reviewed it carefully before it was accepted.
For an article that has only been *submitted* to Phys Rev. then I can't use
either of these criteria, so I find other criteria.
If I can verify their
starting point in published articles and I can reproduce their calculations
and/or experiments, then I trust the accuracy.
So, then the question becomes, what secondary characteristics have a
significant correlation with accuracy? Here I think the guidelines are
right on!
Under Authority it says:
* Is the author identifiable? Look for links that say "Who We
Are," "About This Site, " or something similar.
* Is there contact information for the author? (e.g. e-mail
address, mailing address or phone number)
* What is the author's background? (e.g. experience, credentials,
occupation, have they written other publications on the topic?)
* Does the author cite his or her sources?
* Is this site linked to often by other sites?
* Do links on this site lead to other reputable sites?
* Are there spelling errors or incorrect use of grammar?
* What domain does the site belong to? (e.g. edu, gov, com, etc.)?
Sure, no one of these will guarantee accuracy. Heck, all of them together
won't guarantee accuracy.
That aside, judging "sense" requires a preexisting understanding. It is a
very high level thinking task. The fact that you are searching for such
info suggests you aren't already an expert. Then you have to judge on
other factors.
"The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do
nothing." - Edmund Burke