In the research process not everything you find on your topic will be suitable. It is important to critically evaluate the resources you discover to ensure that you are using the most appropriate materials. Timeliness, relevance, author and audience, and point of view/bias are important factors that should determine whether or not you decide to use a source for your topic.
The T.R.A.A.P. (Timeliness, Relevance, Author & Audience, Point of View/Bias) method is a guide to help you evaluate how credible and useful the sources you find will be in answering your research question, supporting your points, convincing an audience, etc.
When you look at a source (a chapter of a book, an journal article, a blog entry, etc.), ask yourself the following questions:
Timeliness
Relevance
Author & Audience
Point of view/bias
Another factor is the type of publication, Scholarly vs. Popular. Scholarly resources are written by experts for experts. These sources are peer reviewed, have extensive bibliographies, and often contain areas for further research and uses the language of the discipline. Popular resources are written by staff writers, journalists, often a generalist. These sources are intended for a general audience of readers, they are written typically to entertain, inform, or persuade.
How to how to evaluate source credibility/reliability: additional information.
Use Google Scholar to find background information on authors and researchers.