Lateral reading is an approach utilized by fact checkers and involves researching the provenance of the information by opening tabs on a browser to investigate different elements of a piece of work. Vertical reading on the other hand, involves reading a piece of information (top to bottom) and not leaving the source to verify reliability. The latter approach may be better managed by a subject specialist.
Numerous tools are available to give you a better idea on the authority and reliability of an academic source. These tools should be used to evaluate your reading (vertical reading) and not necessarily eliminate the source from your reading list.
Publication Level Assessment
Article Level Assessment
Conference Papers
Determine a researcher’s authority in the field (including H-index)