AUTHORITY
• Does the author have adequate qualifications/expertise?
• Is the work cited in other writings?
• Are the author's qualifications given?
• Who is the sponsoring agency?
• What are the organization's credentials and reputation?
• Who is the copyright holder? Might this be important?
Checking the writer's authority:
-- Use biographical dictionaries and critical essays to investigate the author.
-- Search appropriate databases for works that cite the book.
-- Read reviews of the book (and other works by the author).
-- Find out if the author has written other books or articles on the topic.
-- Look on the dust jacket or in the preface (double-check the information).