What's CRAAP?

When it comes to determining the usefulness of a website, Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy and Purpose are the four most important elements to evaluate (aka CRAAP). Getting the skinny on these elements is actually much simpler than you would think. With enough practice, evaluating these elements of websites will come naturally (in fact, some parts might already come naturally for you!)
CARPE DIem
Image from Western University Library
Currency
Think about it. You wouldn't eat expired yogurt, right? Nor would you want someone who thinks that Pluto is still a planet to tell you about space. Out-of-date information is just as dangerous and out-of-date food. If a website isn't current, you can end up with the wrong information, which can not only make you look silly, it can get in the way of creating the best possible project/assignment and hurt your grade.

Do you have the most recent information? Check the top and bottom of the page for the publication date or date last updated. A COPYRIGHT date does not necessarily refer to the information on the site.
Relevance
The next step is to determine if the site is relevant. The site you use should address the topic you are researching.

To determine if your site fulfills your research purposes, ask yourself these questions: 
  • Does the site answer your research question(s)?
  • Does the site fulfill the requirements of your assignment?
  • For what audience was this site intended? Is it appropriate for your level of understanding of the topic (not too elementary or too sophisticated)?
  • Does the source contribute something new to your knowledge of the topic?
In order to ensure that the site addresses your topic, it is critical that you understand what the site is actually saying. To do this, you must read the text closely and put the author's words into your own words (paraphrasing). Only then will you know if the site is relevant. Plus, paraphrasing helps avoid plagiarism!

Check out this resource at the OWL (Online Writing Lab) at Purdue. It includes exercises for paraphrasing practice!

Authority/Accuracy
One great thing about the web is that anyone can make a website (We made this one!) On the other hand, it's important to keep in mind that ANYONE can make a website. Usually, you are researching something BECAUSE you don't know much about it, so that makes it difficult to know where to put your trust.

Authority essentially asks if the person who created the site has the right to be doing so. If so, there is a greater chance that the site will be accurate. There are many things to check:

1. Is there a way to contact the author/organization? (Check the very top and bottom of the page, or the "Contact Us" area)

2. Can you find any additional information about the author? Does he/she have the proper background to make their claims? Are they respected in their field? The same applies for a group/organization. Check the "About Us" area of an organization page.

3. Look for cited sources and use them to fact-check whenever possible. 

4. Is the information consistent with what you know to be true and itself? Try finding questionable information in at least two more sources. You can conduct a secondary Internet search.

5. How in-depth is the author covering the topic? Does he/she claim to know everything? Make sweeping generalizations? Acknowledge opposing arguments?
​
6. Are there many spelling and grammatical errors? An expert who doesn't proofread isn't much of an expert at all!

does the source actually help answer the research questions?

Can you trust this author? Check for verifiability, contact information/credentials, and topic coverage.

Is this source authoritative?

source 1: ushmm

Picture

Source 2: IHR

Picture
Purpose
Now it's time to really look at why this site is out there. At this point you are looking for any bias or slant that might taint the information. Is the author's goal to persuade, to teach, to sell? Does the author/site seem to have any biases?

Find out if:
1. The site is selling something. Keep in mind that the results on the right side of the Google search page are all ads. Additionally, the results with colored backgrounds are ads. 

2. The site is an opinion page (wiki, blog, about.com).

3. The site is from an organization that advocates for something (Check the "Mission," "Purpose," or "About Us" links). Figure out what the organization represents.

Evaluate the domain (or ending) of the URL (web address). The following are usually true:
  • .com=commercial/business
  • .net, .org=organizations
  • .edu=higher education
  • .gov=federal government site
  • .state.xx.us=state government site

Also, beware of sites that end in .co or lo as they tend to be disreputable imitations of valid sites. 

2. Is the site properly maintained? Do all of the links work?

For whom was this site made and why?
click on the image or text below for 

source evaluations

So, in summary, be sure to check your sources to see if they pass the CRAAP test!

Picture
Ask yourself about the:
  • CURRENCY-Do you have the most recent information? Check the top and bottom of the page for the publication date, copyright date, or date last updated. 
  • RELEVANCE-Does this site support your research?
  • AUTHORITY-Can you trust this author? Check for contact information/credentials, and topic coverage.
  • ACCURACY-Does the information fit with what you already know about the topic? Can you verify the information provided?
  • PURPOSE-For whom was this site made and why?

Website Evaluation Practice Activities

1. http://www.whitehouse.net                                       
2. http://www.google.co.uk/intl/en/landing/translateforanimals/
3. http://www.petsorfood.com                                           

Sources: 

Dearing, Karen. "Evaluating Sources   Tags: Annotated Bibliography, Bias, Craap Test, Crap Test, Credibility, Empirical, Evaluating Sources, Peer-reviewed, Popular Magazines, Primary, Qualitative, Quantitative, Refereed, Scholarly Journals, Secondary, Tertiary, Trade Journals ." Credibility & Bias. Middle Tennessee State University James E. Walker Library, 2014. Web. 07 Apr. 2015.

Harris, Robert. "Evaluating Internet Research Sources." VirtualSalt. 22 Nov. 2010. Web. 30 Oct. 2011. <http://www.virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm>.

Kapoun, Jim. "Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages." C&RL News July/August 1998 (1998): 522-23. Olin & Uris Libraries. Cornell University, 28 June 2010. Web. 28 Oct. 2011. <http://olinuris.library.cornell.edu/ref/research/webcrit.html>.

Western University. "Evaluating Sources." YouTube. YouTube, 13 Jan. 2012. Web. 07 Apr. 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EyMT08mD7Ds>.

Additional Resources

updated 3/12/2018 J. Sutton