Evaluate your sources in order to determine how appropriate a source might be for your research project. This is adapted from Meriam Library's CRAAP Test.
Currency
• When was the information published or posted?
• Has the information been revised or updated?
Relevance
• How central (or peripheral) is this work in relation to your research?
• What are the connections between this work and your work?
• Is the intended audience disciplinary scholars, practitioners, the public, or other groups?
• Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)?
Authority
• Who is the author/editor/publisher/source/sponsor?
• What author credentials or organizational affliations, if any, are provided?
Accuracy
• Where does the information come from? Can you trace the source?
• Has the information been reviewed or refereed, and by whom?
• Are you given enough information to verify and evaluate for yourself the who, what, when, why, where, and how?
Purpose
• Is this intended to add new knowledge to the field, explain highly specialized knowledge to non-specialists, persuade or entertain an audience, etc.?
• Is this intent stated clearly anywhere in the text or by the publisher?
• Do other sources suggest an alternative purpose for this text? (e.g. written for novices, but also useful to experts)
