glaubwürdigen

Glaubwürdig is a German adjective meaning capable of being believed; credible and trustworthy. It describes statements, sources, or persons whose claims or testimonies appear reliable and supported by evidence. In journalistic and scientific contexts, a glaubwürdige Quelle or eine glaubwürdige Aussage is one that withstands verification and is not undermined by obvious biases or missing data. The term is closely related to glaubhaft, seriös, and zuverlässig, and its opposite is unglaubwürdig.

Glaubwürdigen is the declined form of glaubwürdig used before plural nouns in several cases. With a definite article, examples include die glaubwürdigen Quellen in both nominative and accusative, and den glaubwürdigen Quellen in dative. In other words, glaubwürdigen marks the plural and appears before nouns referring to multiple sources, witnesses, or other entities considered believable. In singular form, other endings apply: der glaubwürdige Mann, die glaubwürdige Frau, das glaubwürdige Kind.

Assessing credibility involves evaluating evidence, corroboration, methodology, and potential biases. Critical indicators include traceable sources, transparent reasoning, reproducible results, and a verifiable track record. Red flags include anonymity, vague or contradictory claims, selective storytelling, or lack of supporting data. In media and science, the standard approach is to seek primary sources, cross-check information, and consider conflicts of interest before accepting statements as credible.