Evaluating Sources: Evaluating Resources

When searching for resources and articles for your research or homework, there are a few things to keep in mind to make sure you are using accurate, up-to-date, and scholarly sources.

Where

• Where did you find the resource?
  • Did you find it on Google or from a Library resource?
    • Was it in a Library database?

Who

• Who wrote the article? Are they an expert in their field? If the article is about medicine was it written by someone with experience in that field of medicine?
  • For example, if the article is about neuroscience is the person or team behind the article experts or experienced in neuroscience?
• Who published the article?
  • If the article is about neuroscience, was it published in a journal highly regarded in medicine or a subject-specific journal? Or was it published in a journal with little connection to medicine or neuroscience?
  • Does this journal clearly state its peer-review process and that its articles are peer-reviewed? Often journals' peer-review process is outlined on their website.
  • Who supports the publication of the journal? Is it a university, an academic publisher, or a well-regarded professional society?
  • Is the website you are getting a resource from trusted? If you are getting a news article is it from a resource like CNN or AP? If it is a government resource goes it come from a .gov URL like Census.gov?

Backing

• Who paid for the research? Articles can be paid for by corporations or other organizations with a vested interest in the results that support their actions or beliefs.
  • Think about how trustworthy an article about the health benefits of smoking would be when the research was paid for by the tobacco industry.
• How are the researchers supporting, or backing, their argument? Are there relevant citations of others' work? Are they clearly detailing their own research methods?

How do you know if an article is relevant?

There are a few questions to consider when deciding if an article is relevant to your research. You can think about the above and the CRAAP test discussed later and these additional final questions.

• Was it published in a respectable journal?
• Are the authors or author experts in their field?
• How old is the article? The general rule of thumb is 10 years for it to be considered new and still relevant. But this is dependent on the field of study. In a field like history, the research can be much older while in medicine you want articles within the last 5 years.
• Are other people using this article in their research?
  • You can search the article's title in Google Scholar and Web of Science and see if other researchers are citing the article!

The CRAAP Test was created by librarians at California State University Chico. Below you will find the CRAAP Test laid out along with links to a PDF version of the Test and a Rubric to use to evaluate your sources based off the CRAAP Test.

Current: The timeliness of the information

• When was the information published or posted?
• Has the information been revised or updated?
• Does your topic require current information, or will older sources work as well?
• Are the links functional?

Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs.

• Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
• Who is the intended audience?
• Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)?
• Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use?
• Would you be comfortable citing this source in your research paper?  

Authority: The source of the information.

• Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
• What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations?
• Is the author qualified to write on the topic?
• Is there contact information, such as a publisher or email address?
• Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source? examples: .com .edu .gov .org .net

Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness and correctness of the content.

• Where does the information come from?
• Is the information supported by evidence?
• Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
• Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge?
• Does the language or tone seem unbiased and free of emotion?
• Are there spelling, grammar or typographical errors?   

Purpose: The reason the information exists.  

• What is the purpose of the information? Is it to inform, teach, sell, entertain or persuade?
• Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear?
• Is the information fact, opinion or propaganda?
• Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
• Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional or personal biases?