When you find a source that you’d like to use for your paper, take a few moments to evaluate its currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose (CRAAP).
To establish a source’s currency and relevance, pay attention to when it was published. Articles in the sciences that were published 20 years ago are likely not current or relevant.
Authority refers to both the authors’ credentials and the place where the resource was found. Peer-reviewed works will typically list an author’s affiliation or job title. If you found the source in one of the library’s databases, then it’s most likely authoritative. If not, consider details like the URL (does it contain .org, .edu, .gov, etc?).
To investigate a text’s accuracy, review its content. Does the source have references? Is the tone of the work objective or does it imply some kind of bias? Are the work’s claims backed up by evidence? If it’s been peer-reviewed or refereed, then the accuracy has already been vetted by experts.
Finally, consider the purpose of the work. Is the purpose to sell you something? To inform or persuade? Is it an opinion piece?
This second method is similar to CRAAP, since the point of the approach is to determine whether a source is reliable. However, in this case, you use the six journalistic question words to evaluate a work’s credibility.
Asking “who?” is the same as determining a source’s authority. Who is involved in its publication? Who is the author? What are the author’s credentials?
The questions, “what?” and “why?” prompt you to consider a work’s accuracy and purpose. What are the contents? What sources are cited? What is the purpose of the text? Why was it published?
Then, you can think about “where” you found the source. Did you find it in one of your library’s databases or somewhere else online?
The question, “when?” refers to the publication date. Asking this questions helps you to establish whether a text is current and relevant.
Finally, ask yourself “how” a work came to be published. Did it undergo peer review? How do you know?
Peer review is the process by which experts evaluate works to ensure that they are credible, authoritative, and original. The practice also guarantees that important subject-specific standards are met.
What is peer review?
This article defines peer review and discusses source evaluation methods.
