ENGL 2341 - Forms of Literature Library Research (Tony Procell): Evaluating Resources

 C.R.A.A.P. Worksheet

Developed by librarians at California State University-Chico, the CRAAP Worksheet is a handy checklist to use when evaluating a web resource (or ANY resource).  The test provides a list of questions to ask yourself when deciding whether or not a source is reliable and credible enough to use in your academic research paper. CRAAP stands for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose. Something to keep in mind: the CRAAP test is only one method for evaluating content.

Think carefully about the sources you are finding and using.

    * Currency - How recent is the information?

    * Reliability - What kind of information is included in the resource? Is it balanced? Does the creator provide references or sources for data or quotations?

    * Authority - Who is the creator or author? Who is the publisher or sponsor?  What is the author's or publisher's interest (if any) in this information?

    * Accuracy  - Is the content readable? Is the content truthful? Is the content correct?

    * Purpose/Point of View - Is this fact or opinion?  Is the creator/author trying to sell you something; persuade you about something?

Check the acronym.  Did your website pass the CRAAP Test?!

*Criteria adapted from the CRAAP Test, Meriam Library, California State University, Chico

Evaluate Online Information with the SIFT Method

Stop, Investigate, Find and Trace

STOP and ask

Before you share the article, the video, or react strongly to a headline, pause and ask yourself and become a fact checker: 

• To investigate a claim, start by Googling it.
• Are you familiar with the website or information source?  
• What do you know about the reputation of the website or the truthfulness of the claim being made?
• What else have they written? 
• What is the purpose?
• Consider cognitive bias.

INVESTIGATE the source before you read

• Look up the source using a reference source like Credo Reference
• What do other sources say about your source?
• Try a fact checking site
• What about the author?
• Is it worth your time?

FIND better coverage

• Do trusted sources have a similar claim?
• Can you find better coverage (trusted, in-depth, or varied?)
• Scan sources for experts’ consensus about this claim?

TRACE the original source or context

• If not a primary source, can you find the original source?
• What is the original context?
• Has it been accurately reported or presented?

Images, Video, and Media can also be altered, taken out of context, or misrepresented.

• Do a Google reverse image search to locate the origins of photo. If you're on a computer, right-click over the image and select Search Google for Image from the pop-up menu. You will see where that photo has been used and often find its origins.
• Fact check the video to see if  a video has been altered or manipulated. Google the title of the video and you will find that many reputable news sources fact checked the video and determined wether or not it had been manipulated.

Your conclusion:

• Is this information likely true?
• Is there a better source for this information? Why? Where?

Source: Information adapted by Lorely Ambriz, EPCC Northwest Head Librarian from the SIFT method was created by Mike Caulfield, with a CC BY 4.0 license – Fall 2023.