Persons use the internet to source information but since some information are not scholarly literature then it can be unreliable. There are persons that firmly believe that "it is not news if it not on Facebook". As an educator, I need to ensure that the information that I am teaching to my students is not false or misleading.
It is difficult to authenticate online information and most persons doing research love Wikipedia but it is not a reliable source as not everything on the site is accurate, comprehensive or unbiased. I prefer Google Scholar or JSTOR and look closely at the source of the information for credibility.
While conducting the digital identity investigation. I searched Google, Bing, Linkedln, Facebook and the person's work corporate website. Each provided bits of information which confirmed the information that allowed me to gather the credible information of the DEL.