Find Homework (K-12) Resources

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

These are questions you can ask yourself to determine if information is reliable and appropriate for your assignments.

Currency

• When was it published?
• Does its age affect its accuracy?
• Is there a more recent version that supports or refutes it?
• Are links functional?

Relevance

• Who was it written for?
• Is it pitched to a scholarly audience?
• Have you looked at several similar sources before selecting this one?
• Would you be comfortable citing this source?

Authority

• Where did it come from?
• Is the author/publisher/sponsor identified?
• Can their credentials be verified?
• Has it been cited in other research?
• Do you trust them?

Accuracy

• Can it be verified by other sources?
• Does it contain sufficient evidence to back it up?
• Is it peer-reviewed?
• Are there spelling or grammatical errors?

Purpose

• Why was it created?
• Is it selling you something or trying to persuade you?
• Does it have political, religious, institutional, or personal bias?
• Is it objective and impartial?

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?

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