CRAAP is an acronym and stands for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy and Purpose.
The CRAAP Test provides you with a list of questions to help you evaluate the information that you find and encourages critical thinking about the sources you consult. Not all criteria apply equally at the same time to all resources.
Currency: to determine if the date of publication of the information is suitable for your project.
- When was the information published or posted?
- Is the information current or out-of-date for your topic? Why is or isn't the date important for the content or source?
- Has the information been revised or updated?
- If there are any embedded links, are they functional?
Relevance: to determine how applicable the information is for the purpose of your project.
- For what audience or level is the information written (general public, scholars/experts, etc.)?
- Is the information at an appropriate level for your needs (i.e. not too simple or advanced)?
- Does the information relate to your topic, answer your question, or expand your knowledge on the topic?
- Explain why you would or would not reference information from this source in your project.
Authority: to determine if the source author, creator, or publisher is knowledgeable or has expertise on a topic.
- Who is the author? What are their credentials? Are they associated with a credible institution or organization?
- What are the author's qualifications to write on this topic?
- Who is the publisher?
- Is there contact information available for either the author or publisher?
- Does the URL (if a web-based source) reveal anything about the source?
- .com (commercial), .edu(education), .gov (government), .net (network)
Accuracy: to determine the reliability, truthfulness, or correctness of the content.
- Where does the information come from?
- Is the information supported by evidence (in-text citations, reference list, etc.)?
- Has the information been reviewed for correctness (peer-reviewed, fact-checked, etc.?)
- Would you be able to verify any of the information in another source or from prior knowledge?
- Does the language and tone of writing seem to be free of emotion? Is there any use of biased language or tone?
- Are there spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors?
- Is there any conflict of interest between the author and the sponsors of the source? Could it be inferred that someone was influenced to present information in a specific way?
Purpose: to determine the reason why the information exists.
- Why was this source written (to inform, teach, sell, entertain, persuade, etc.)?
- Do the authors/publishers make their intentions and purpose clear?
- Is the information presented fact, opinion, propaganda ... ?
- Does the point of view seem objective and impartial?
- Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases evident?
- What conclusions are presented and is the information complete? Is anything major excluded?
