A page has credible information but no author byline. How does this affect trustworthiness?

• A. It reduces trustworthiness due to missing author information.
• B. It increases trustworthiness.
• C. It has no effect.
• D. It makes the page unreliable.

Answer: (A)

Author attribution signals accountability and expertise. When credible information lacks an author byline, you lose a key clue about who created the content and their qualifications. Without knowing the author, it’s harder to assess potential biases, verify claims against the author’s track record, or check for a history of accuracy. That missing byline introduces uncertainty, which lowers trustworthiness even if the information itself seems credible. It doesn’t mean the page is automatically wrong, but the absence of an identifiable author weakens the trust signal. To evaluate trust in such a case, look for other cues like the publishing site’s reputation, cited sources, date of publication, and whether the content reflects an evident editorial or organizational process.