What Makes Sources Credible? How Source Features Shape Evaluation of Scientific Information

Adequate evaluation of information requires differentiated consideration of critical source features. We investigated which source features laypeople rely on to determine a scientific source’s credibility and message validity. Specifically, we examined whether they distinguish between the ability-related source features expertise and pertinence and the motivation-related features benevolence and scientific integrity. Medical laypeople read pairs of conflicting documents about a health issue. One document source varied in terms of their expertise and pertinence (Experiment 1) or in terms of their benevolence and integrity (Experiment 2). The results show that although laypeople consider both ability-related factors and both motivational factors to evaluate a scientific source’s credibility and their claims, they do not clearly distinguish between these source characteristics. Educational implications are discussed.