Wrap-Up

In Summary

Authority is a complex idea without universal measures. To determine the authority of an author, you must consider their expertise, competence, and credibility.

The internet is an excellent tool to perform “lateral reading” on a source, in order to investigate an author and deduce their contextual authority on the topic they are writing about. However, we all need to be careful not to conflate fame or notoriety with actual authority, or to over rely on authority alone as an argument.

Feedback

Was this helpful? Let us know so we can improve future content.