When to Use
When searching for authoritative sources for skills or validating existing source links.
Patterns
Source Tiers (Credibility)
code
Tier 1 (Highest): - Official docs (react.dev, supabase.com/docs) - RFCs, W3C specs - GitHub source code Tier 2: - Official blogs (vercel.com/blog) - Release notes, changelogs - Core team members' posts Tier 3: - Reputable tech companies (AWS, Google, etc.) - Well-known authors (Kent C. Dodds, Dan Abramov) Tier 4: - Stack Overflow (high votes, recent) - GitHub issues (official repos) Tier 5 (Lowest): - Personal blogs, tutorials - Medium articles (verify author)
Search Strategy
bash
# Primary search (official) "[technology] site:docs.*.com OR site:*.dev" # Version-specific "[technology] [version] documentation" # Latest practices "[technology] best practices 2024 2025" # Breaking changes "[technology] migration guide OR breaking changes"
Source Validation Checklist
code
✅ Domain is official project domain ✅ Content dated within 12 months ✅ Author is maintainer/team member ✅ Links to source code or spec ✅ No outdated version warnings
Anti-Patterns
- •Using StackOverflow answers >2 years old
- •Blog posts without checking official docs
- •Ignoring version numbers in examples
- •Trusting AI-generated content without verification
Verification Checklist
- • Source is Tier 1-3
- • Content is recent (<12 months)
- • No deprecation warnings on page
- • Multiple sources agree on pattern