Lateral Reading
For an unfamiliar website, it's a good idea to learn more before you spend time evaluating it. You can do this with lateral reading. Lateral reading refers to looking at other websites to see what they say about your chosen source. (In other words you are opening a new tab and reading across the screen - laterally, rather than reading vertically down the original page.) This is a technique often used by professional fact checkers. The video below explains more.
SIFT
Using the acronym SIFT can help you to remember to read laterally.
CC Image from Mike Caulfield
Evaluating Sources: Consider the Context!
Consider the context in which you are using a source. Are you using it to demonstrate how various communities use language related to your topic or for informational purposes? If the latter, be critical of the information you find, considering the following factors:
CURRENCY - How recent is the information? Is this important?
RELEVANCE - Is the information relevant to your topic?
AUTHORITY - Who is the author? Are they qualified to write on this topic?
ACCURACY - How reliable and correct is the information?
PURPOSE - What is the purpose of the information or source? Is it to sell something? Entertain? Inform?