LibGuides: ENGL 101 English Composition 1 (Theme: Work): Evaluating Sources

Video: CRAAP Test to Evaluate Sources

Evaluate your Info Sources

Do Your Sources Pass the CRAAP Test?

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, and lived experiences?
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 references or cite claims?
Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
Step outside that source. Can you verify claims in other sources?
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 the point of view of the source?
Do a little research into the author or publication's 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

Assess your Sources: CRAAP Test (download)
Download and print this table in order to help you assess and evaluate your own resources

Advanced Google Searching (image +short info +link) [okay to MAP]

Advanced Google Searching

Use Google Advanced Search for power searching on the general web

Note your ability to limit to one particular domain (.gov, .edu, .org):

Google Advanced Search
Use this search to help you limit by resource, date and more. Find specific types of websites, such as those created for academic purposes (.edu) or government (.gov).

(Click on image to enlarge)

Evaluate Sources AND your own Biases!

Confirmation Bias

Don't stop at evaluating your sources! Evaluate where your own unconscious and conscious biases lead you to favor one source over another.

Online Fact-Checking Sites

Verify Claims & Contextualize Online Information

Politifact
PolitiFact is a fact-checking website that rates the accuracy of claims by elected officials and others who speak up in American politics. PolitiFact is run by editors and reporters from the Tampa Bay Times, an independent newspaper in Florida, as is PunditFact, a site devoted to fact-checking pundits. The PolitiFact state sites are run by news organizations that have partnered with the Times.
FactCheck.org
FactCheck.org, a project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania, is a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases. Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding.
Snopes
"When misinformation obscures the truth and readers don’t know what to trust, Snopes’ fact-checking and original, investigative reporting lights the way to evidence-based and contextualized analysis. We always link to and document our sources so readers are empowered to do independent research and make up their own minds."
Fact Check from Duke Reporter's Lab
The Reporters’ Lab is a center for journalism research in the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. Our core projects focus on fact-checking, but we also do occasional research about trust in the news media and other topics.
SciCheck
Science News Fact-Checking from FactCheck.org. FactCheck.org says: "We are a nonpartisan, nonprofit “consumer advocate” for voters that aims to reduce the level of deception and confusion in U.S. politics. We monitor the factual accuracy of what is said by major U.S. political players in the form of TV ads, debates, speeches, interviews and news releases. Our goal is to apply the best practices of both journalism and scholarship, and to increase public knowledge and understanding."
Media Bias / Fact Checker
"Founded in 2015 by Dave Van Zandt, Media Bias/Fact Check (MBFC) is an independent website that rates the bias, factual accuracy, and credibility of media sources."

Assess: Different Info for different purposes

Compare the following sources using the CRAAP test assessment rubric: