CRAAP Test To Determine Whether A Source Is Legit

CRAAP test presentation

1. The CRAAP Test See the presentation at http://www.mid.muohio.edu/library/instruction.cfm

2. Write about your week so far. Write about a positive and a negative thing that happened.

3. CURRENCY The timeliness of the web page. When was the info published or posted? Has it been revised or updated? Is the info current or out-of-date? Are the links functional? In fields such as medicine, science, business, technology, and most social sciences , currency of information is important . (no older than 3 years!) http://www.breastcancer.org/

4. RELEVANCE How effectively the website communicates the information to its intended audience. Does the info relate to your topic or answer your research question? Who is the intended audience? Is the info at the appropriate level? Have you looked at a variety of sources? Google search: homeschooling

5. AUTHORITY If you cannot find anyone’s NAME on the website, that’s a big RED FLAG Sometimes questionable internet sources do not give the identity or credentials of the author or producer. Never use this kind of source if there is no name Who is the author/publisher/sponsor? Are the author’s credentials or organizational affiliations given? Is there contact info for the author/organization? What is the domain of the site? http://www.martinlutherking.org/

6. What Web Sources Can Tell You The address holds information about the author! .edu = college/university .gov = U.S. government site .mil = U.S. military site . k12.us = public school .com = commercial site .org = Organization/group .net = network of computers *What is highlighted tend to be the better sources of information*

7. ACCURACY The reliability , truthfulness , and correctness of the informational content. Where does the info come from? Is the info supported by evidence? Has the info been reviewed or refereed? Can you verify the info in another source? Does the language seem biased and free from emotion? http://www.justfacts.com/guncontrol.asp

8. PURPOSE “Bias” is not a negative term – it simply means that one has a certain perspective or point of view Informational websites present verifiable information without bias The best informational websites have a neutral tone Information can include: facts expert opinions statistics case studies experiment results Does the info attempt to inform? Teach? Sell? Entertain? Persuade? Does the author make his intentions or purpose clear? Is the info fact? Opinion? Propaganda? Does the point of view appear objective and impartial? http://www.peta.org/