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It is easy to find a lot of information about a lot of things on the internet, but it isn't always trustworthy or suited to completing a research paper. It is important to critically evaluate all the information you find before you decide to use it.

The CRAAP Test below is a list of questions that you can ask yourself to help you determine if information is reliable and appropriate for your assignments.

Evaluating Information using the CRAAP Test

 


A = Author

  • After you find a source of information that you might want to use, think about the author(s) of the source.  Are the authors experts and qualified to write on the topic?  What are their credentials?  Are they affiliated with any organizations or a university?

  • Also, consider the publisher or source.  Is it reputable? 

B = Bias

  • Look for any bias in the information.  Does the information presented cover all sides of the topic in a neutral, objective manner?  What is the purpose of this information… to inform, teach, persuade, or sell? 

C = Content

  • Is the information relevant to your topic or does it deviate too much?  Is the readership level too simple or too sophisticated? Also, focus on the accuracy of the content.  Does the information match your understanding of the topic and can you verify the claims in other sources?  Compare its findings to those of other related articles.  Do not rely on only one source. 

D = Date

  • Consider when the information was published, updated, or revised.  Has the information become outdated?  Also, look at the date of the reference list provided.  Are those sources too old?

Related Resources:

Citing Sources

When you quote or paraphrase the idea of another person in your research paper, you must provide a proper citation.

Proper citations:

  • give credit to the author
  • enable others to locate the resource you cited
  • improve the credibility of your work, especially if you cited authoritative sources

If you use other people's ideas without properly giving them credit, you are committing plagiarism, which is a serious NSU honor code violation as well as a federal crime.

Citation Styles:

The format of a proper citation depends upon the citation style being used.  Most commonly, students are required to use APA or MLA.  

For consistency, both of these styles provide specific standards for:

  • citing within the body of a paper (in text)
  • a bibliography or reference list at the end of a paper

How to Know When to Cite:

Types of Information Sources:

The Information Cycle is the progression of media coverage of a newsworthy event. It refers to how information is produced and distributed over time. Understanding the Information Cycle will help you determine what types of sources may be available for your research topic. Information comes from different sources including: 

  • Social media (Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, etc.)

  • Mainstream Media (TV news, Internet news, etc)

  • Popular Magazines

  • Scholarly Journals

  • Books

When researching a topic, you need to investigate a variety of sources to gather enough information. 

the information cycle infographic

 

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