Evaluating Sources
💡 Basic Source Types
Before you can really start to evaluate a source, make sure you understand the basic types of sources, as well as what makes a peer reviewed article different than a popular article.
What is Source Evaluation?
The practice of source evaluation involves a researcher taking an objective look at a potential source of information and making a reasoned and well-informed decision about its credibility and accuracy before determining whether or not it is an appropriate source for your use.
This can be tricky at times, but thankfully there is a great way to easily remember how to evaluate sources - the CRAAP Test. Before we get to this though, we need to consider some common issues researchers will run into that we all need to give careful consideration.
Misinformation & Disinformation
Before we get started with the CRAAP Test, let's review two common concepts we often see that all researchers should be aware of - misinformation and disinformation.
Misinformation: False, inaccurate or misleading information regardless of the reason why or an intention to deceive.
Disinformation: A subset of misinformation, this is the deliberate intention to spread false, inaccurate, or misleading information. This can include hoaxes, propaganda, fake news, deepfakes, etc.
Help stop the spread of misinformation by considering your own confirmation biases.
Fake News: Disinformation spread through outlets designed to look like legitimate news media organizations.
Deepfakes: A subset of disinformation and often used with fake news, deepfakes are audio, video or photographs that have been altered to change what actually was said, who was there, or anything else they may want to alter from what really happened. Typically, you will see this being used to place people at events or places in video and photos who were not really there, or to alter what someone has said, either be eliminating something they said or by adding to it through audio manipulation.
Now let's get to the CRAAP Test.
CRAAP Test
The CRAAP Test is a checklist of sorts to assist researchers with evaluating sources, originally websites, but it works with all sources. It is also vital to use to help stop the spread of misinformation in all of its various forms.
CRAAP stands for the five most important parts of source evaluation: Currency, Relevancy, Authority, Accuracy, and Purpose. Many of these can blend together at times, such as when assessing the authority and purpose of a website, but they can also stand alone and offer their own insights into a source's usefulness.
It is also important to remember that not all of the five elements of the CRAAP Test are equal and that their importance can change depending on the field and type of research you are conducting. The most common trap for new and experienced researchers is using a website that looks modern over one that looks outdated which is referring to the Currency. Just because it looks good doesn't mean it is trustworthy.
If there are two elements that stand out as the "most important" in the CRAAP Test, it is Authority and Purpose. Authority refers to who created the source (the author) and the purpose is why did they create it. These two things drive everything else about the source you are evaluating and without them, the other three elements of the CRAAP Test can provide misleading results.
C - Currency
Currency refers to when the information was posted or published. Keep in mind that when it comes to websites, just because it looks good and modern doesn't automatically make the information correct.
Questions to Consider
When was the information gathered?
When was it published?
When was it last updated (if it is a website)?
How important is currency? That really depends on your topic and discipline. Sciences and medicine change rapidly and unless you are doing a historical piece on those topics, you are going to want to most current information available. If you are working with history or literature, it's quite possible that the currency is not very important. Use your best judgement and don't be afraid to ask a librarian or your instructor.
R - Relevancy
Relevancy pertains to how effectively the information is delivered, does it meet your needs, and who is the perceived audience. If the source you're evaluating is written for beginners but you're doing research for more advanced purposes, you should be able to find the same information elsewhere fairly easily. Don't just settle for a source that "kind of works" without seeking other options to get the same information. If the source is good and using quality information, there should be others making the same claims. If the claim is made randomly in a source not at all about your topic, the source itself isn't relevant to your research and you should try and find the claim from a more relevant source.
Questions to Consider
Does the information relate to your topic or research question?
Who is the intended audience?
Is it for beginners, professionals, students?
What does the author assume about their audience?
Do they use words only familiar to a community or profession?
Are they assuming you already hold certain beliefs about the topic?
Is there enough information presented that the audience understands what is being discussed?
Can this information be found elsewhere?
If you can find the same information from other sources, it helps support the claims made be the original.
A - Authority
If there is a "most important" element of the CRAAP Test, it is Authority. Authority refers to the author(s) of the information. The reason Authority is considered one of the most important elements of the CRAAP Test is because if you cannot trust who authored the information, you probably should not trust the information. The Internet has made it possible for just about everyone to post their views and research to a wider community, but that means there is more room for people to have viewpoints that are not supported by research and therefore, not trustworthy for academic writing.
Questions to Consider
Who is responsible for the content?
What are their credentials?
What makes them an expert?
What is their educational background?
For websites, check who owns the site. What is their mission and purpose?
Authority requires more work than the most of the other letters in the CRAAP Test. Finding out about a person can be as simple as a Google search, but for some companies and organizations, that can be more difficult. Thankfully, most legitimate places have some common elements to look for.
Whether it is a website, book or article, search the organization that authored and/or published the source. Organizations should have a website and legitimate ones will usually have the following in some form or another.
About Page
Mission Statement
What We Do & Who We Are Statements
Author Bio
History Section
⚠️ One more warning. If an author, be it person or organization, intends on spreading disinformation, then they will have likely done the same in regards to who they are and what their intentions are. Do a quick Google Search and look for reviews and forums expressing concerns about a specific author.
A - Accuracy
Accuracy pertains to the reliability of the information and how the author(s) present it. If an author is not found in being accurate or presenting information in a professional manner, we should then question the trust we put into the information the author provides.
Questions to Consider
Where does the author get their information?
How do we find this out? Citations.
If they don't have citations, why not? How can we trust what they say if we do not know where their information has come from?
Are they using quality citations? Would we trust and use the same sources they have cited?
If it is a website, where do the links go?
Think back to Currency. The links should work if the site is being maintained.
Links are a lot like citations for websites. You should check the quality of the places the author(s) have linked to. If you don't trust them, then you probably don't want to trust the site that linked to them.
Are there spelling or grammatical errors?
These are signs of a lack of care and professionalism. If an author cannot be bothered to proofread their work, are they bothered if they're not using quality sources of information?
Is there any evidence of plagiarism?
Plagiarism, in addition to being unethical, is also a sign of inaccuracy. If someone lies about where the idea or information comes from, can you trust them at all?
P - Purpose
The purpose is why did the author present this information. Why was this source created? This reflects back to the Authority. Who created it AND why did they create it are very important questions to be asking when evaluating a source.
Questions to Consider
Does the author seem biased in their selection of information or in how they are presenting it?
This is not necessarily a negative thing, depending on the type of source it is and how you will be using it.
Does the author make it clear they are stating an opinion or belief? Or are they trying to pass it off and make it look like a research or academic article or information?
Is the purpose of the source stated?
For academic sources (books and articles), this will usually be a clear thesis statement.
For websites, this would be a mission statement. Refer back to Authority for more about websites and their missiong statements.
What is the tone of the author(s)?
Even in written formats, we can usually tell if someone is overly passionate about what they are presenting. This lends a sense of purpose, even if its not clearly stated by the author(s).
💡 Web Domains & Addresses
Don't go by a website's domain to decide if they are trustworthy or not. There are plenty of non-profits (.orgs) and academic institutions (.edu) with political agendas that have very biased information and research.
Test Out Your CRAAP Skills
One of the best ways to make sure you learn something is to try it out. Follow the link below to "Review Test Source" and evaluate the source information using what you've learned. Feel free to click back and forth to all the areas and follow through the questions offered for each element to make sure you're forming a sound opinion on the usefulness and reliability to this source of information. When you finish, click the button below to see the HJF Library's take on the source.