If you find a website that you think might be useful for your assignment, use this list as an evaluation tool.
Currency
- When was this article or page published? Has it been updated since then?
- Has the author written more recent papers on the same subject?
- Does this article contain statistics or data? Are more current figures available elsewhere?
Relevance
- Does the information in this article answer your research question?
- Does the type of article fit the requirements of your assignment?
- Is this article appropriate for college-level research?
Authority
- Who wrote the article?
- Is the author an expert in the field? What credentials does he or she have to suggest that?
- Can you find any other resources that cite this article?
Accuracy
- Does the information in the article fit with what you already know about the subject?
- Does the article contain references or citations to other resources?
Purpose
- Does the article seem to be objective, or is there any obvious bias or prejudice?
- Does the author use emotional language?
- Is the author writing on behalf of any company or political entity?
The CRAAP test was originally created by librarians at Meriam Library at California State University, Chico.