Learn how sources and individual articles are ranked and evaluated using the Trust Standard™ criteria.
† Trust Standard is NOT currently a registered trademark of Blacklink Education.
The Trust Standard™ ensures every source and article is evaluated for reliability, credibility, and accuracy.
Examples: Academic journals, government publications, verified news outlets.
Examples: Industry publications, smaller news outlets, well-known blogs.
Examples: Personal blogs, opinion pieces, non-peer-reviewed websites.
Examples: Fake news sites, unverified social media posts, clickbait articles.
Applies to any single article, regardless of source trust level.
†1 Level C is included for reference; it is not used inside Trust for actual ranking.
†2 Article Verified (AV) can be applied to a single article independently of its parent source.
Over the past few months, the Trust Standard™ has evaluated hundreds of sources to help educators, students, and researchers find reliable and credible information. Historically, sources were ranked solely based on the organization or author, which occasionally allowed a single misleading article to inherit the trustworthiness of the entire source.
With the expansion of digital content, it became clear that each article must be evaluated individually. This is why we introduced the Article Verified (AV) standard, allowing a single publication to be assessed independently. This ensures that even highly trusted outlets cannot automatically guarantee the accuracy of every article they release.
By following the Trust Standard™ when selecting sources, users can confidently identify factual, well-researched, and balanced information. If a source or article isn’t listed in Blacklink Trust, it’s advisable to proceed with caution and verify independently.
The updated system improves transparency, encourages accountability, and empowers readers to make informed decisions in an age of rapidly changing information.