Effective argumentation depends on strong sources & representing issues fairly
Current issues, in particular, require us to assess all our sources of information, because while all information has a point of view, some information we find may be inaccurate, provide a partial point of view, or be too biased to be a reliable source of information.
For sources you find online:
- VERIFY claims in news and other sources. We call this "lateral reading."
- Check CREDENTIALS to determine if the author, editor, and/or publisher has some expertise in the area or in professional journalism.
- Read MISSION STATEMENTS to learn what the stated agendas and beliefs are of an organization.
- INVESTIGATE THE SOURCE itself. After you read what the source says about itself, read what others say about the source. Wikipedia can be useful for this.
- AND ASSESS if this is a good source for your purposes.
You can also apply the CRAAP test.
Do Your Sources Pass the CRAAP Test?
Source Evaluation is about asking the right questions and using the C.R.A.A.P test of evaluation is just one way to review and assess the quality of your sources. Do your sources pass the CRAAP test? If not, find a better source!
Currency: The timeliness of the information
- How recent is the information? Can you find a date of publication?
- Is the currency of information important for your particular topic?
- Does information about your topic change rapidly or frequently?
- Is older, historical information important for your topic?
- If source is a website, are the links functional?
Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs
- Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
- Is the source popular or scholarly?
- Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)?
Authority: The source of the information
- Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
- What are the author's qualifications, credentials, organizational/educational affiliations?
- Is there contact information, such as a publisher or email address?
Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness and correctness of the content
- Where does the information come from? Does the source list its own references?
- Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
- Can you verify any of the information in another source?
- Are there spelling, grammar or typographical errors?
Purpose: The reason the information exists
- What is the information being published? Is it to inform, teach, sell, entertain or persuade?
- Who is the intended audience?
- Can you determine if the publisher/sponsor has political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional or personal biases?
- For web sources, what is the domain? (.edu, .gov, .com, .org, .net)?
- For web sources, who are the sponsors of the site? Are there advertisements? Do they affect or color the information being presented?
Download a copy of the C.R.A.A.P. Test below
