One of the main components of information literacy is assessing the information sources. You may also have heard many times from your instructors to make sure to use credible, reliable, or authoritative resources for your research projects.

But, how do you do that? One way is to employ the CRAAP test. The CRAAP Test was developed in 2004 by librarian Sarah Blakeslee at California State University, Chico, and has become a widely adopted method for evaluating sources in academic settings and information literacy education.

The CRAAP Test

The CRAAP Test is an evaluation framework used to assess the quality and reliability of information sources, which is beneficial for academic research and fact-checking. CRAAP is an acronym that stands for:

Currency

Currency will vary depending on your topic. Historians often use information from hundreds of years ago, but other researchers, like scientists or doctors, will want the most up-to-date information.

Ask:

• When was the information published or posted?
• Has the information been revised or updated?
• Is the information current or out-of-date for your topic?
• Are the links functional?

Relevance

Relevance is an important consideration- if a resource does not answer your questions (even if it contains some similar keywords), it will not be helpful to you.

Ask:

• Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
• What type of information can you find here?
• Who is the intended audience?
• Is the information appropriate (not too elementary or advanced)?
• Is the information too broad, too specific, or just right?
• Have you looked at various sources before determining which one you will use?

Authority

You should always look into the creator of an information resource to determine if they are an expert and what their credentials are. For more information on how to do this, see our chapter on Lateral Reading.

Ask:

• Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
• What are the author’s credentials or organizational affiliations?
• Is the author qualified to write on the topic?
• Is there contact information, such as a publisher or email address?
• Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source? (.com, .edu, .gov, .org, etc.) *Be skeptical of these- its easy to regeister a domain that doesn’t actually match an organization’s type*

Accuracy

Check the resource to see if the information is accurate and if the author correctly interpreted those facts. For more information on how to do this, see our chapter on Lateral Reading.

Ask:

• Where does the information come from? Does evidence support the information?
• Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
• Can you verify any of the information in another source?
• Can you find more accurate information easily?
• Does the language or tone seem biased and free of emotion?
• Are there spelling, grammar, or other typographical errors?

Purpose

Many websites will pose as factual resources to persuade or sell you something. Many satire websites can look like serious news outlets. Take a close look at the purpose of information resources to determine if you should use them.

Ask:

• Why is this information available?
• What is the purpose of the information? Is it to inform, teach, sell, entertain, or persuade?
• Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear?
• Is the information fact, opinion, or propaganda?
• Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
• Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases?

Chapter Attribution:

Meriam Library, California State University, Chico. (2010) Evaluating Information- Applying the CRAAP Test. https://library.csuchico.edu/sites/default/files/craap-test.pdf Licenses under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.