(Un)reliability Criteria

 

Use the questions below to judge a narrator's reliability. 

Answering YES to these questions means that the narrator is reliable.

 
#1: Knowledge and Understanding

Does the narrator have the knowledge and understanding to know what s/he is talking about?

 
#2: Experience

Does the narrator have the experience to know what s/he is talking about?

 
#3: Objectiveness/Emotional Involvement

Is the narrator objective enough?

 
#4: Thinking for Self

Does the narrator think for him/herself?

 
#5: In Touch with Reality

Is the narrator in touch with reality?  (If not, s/he might be conceited, in denial, or paranoid/obsessive/crazy.)

 
#6: No Contradictions

Does the narrator refrain from contradicting him/herself?  (Watch for contradictions between two things the narrator says and/or between something the narrator says and does.)