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Expertise is the possession of knowledge necessary to offer reliable facts or opinions about the topic in question. An expert source has education, experience, and a solid reputation in his or her field. For example, a nutrition professor would likely have expertise on the topic of whether eating red meat is healthy, while a seasoned backpacker would have expertise on how to prepare for a long hiking trip. Likewise, you can look for expertise in printed or online sources by evaluating whether the authors or sponsoring organizations are established and well-informed in the areas about which they are writing.