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BUS / Business (T10): Evaluating resources

Importance of evaluating

Evaluating information sources is an important part of the research process, and it can be done quite easily with the CRAAP test. CRAAP is an acronym for:

urrency elevance uthority ccuracy urpose

How to Select the Good Stuff in 5 Easy Lessons

Currency

  • ​Look for the publication date.
  • Decide if the information is current or historical.
  • If there are broken links it could be that the website is no longer being updated.
  • If there are revisions or updates, this may indicate the information is being kept current.

Relevance

  • Look at your topic to see if the information is related.
  • The intended audience can be important. If the writing is aimed at the general public, it may not be suitable for your research assignment.
  • The level is also important as the elementary stuff may not be suitable for research purposes.

Authority

  • Look closely at the author or organization writing or publishing the information.
  • Are any contact details provided? This may indicate a higher level of trustworthiness.
  • Any credentials? A lecturer, for e.g. would need some academic qualification. 
  • Any affiliations? Working for a company may indicate bias.
  • A note about Web addresses (URLs).

Accuracy

  • Free from errors.
  • Supported by evidence in other articles and reports.
  • Peer reviewed. 
  • Finding out where the information is coming from may help you decide on its accuracy.
  • Free from bias or emotion.

Purpose

  • To entertain, inform, teach, sell, or persuade?
  • Opinion, fact, or propaganda?
  • Objective or subjective?

Fake news

Credit: Artwork by Scriberia for Collins Dictionary

 

The next time you spot an online post that has gone viral on Facebook, use the CRAAP test before before hitting the share button!

Currency: Is the information current or out of date? An old news article may resurface and be shared, even though the content may no longer be valid.

Relevance: Read beyond that sensational headline to determine if the article's content is relevant to the topic at hand. 

Authority: Who is the author? Is there a name, bio, description, or link to an official website? 

Accuracy: Are there spelling and grammatical errors? Such errors suggest that the author might have hastily posted the information.

Purpose: Is it satire or an actual piece of news? Satirical articles which are meant to entertain are sometimes shared as actual news. Also, look out for bias. Does the article show only one side of an argument?