What's one factor that determines the authority of a source?

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Authority in a source comes from the author's credentials and recognized expertise. When the author has relevant education, professional experience, or is a trusted figure in the field, that expertise gives the material credibility and justification for relying on it. Among the given factors, author credentials best explain why a source is trustworthy for informing you about a topic. Publication date affects timeliness, not the authority of who wrote it. Length of the writing doesn’t determine credibility or expertise. Bias relates to perspective and potential skew, which can affect trustworthiness but isn’t a direct measure of the author's qualifications.