Currency. Relevance. Authority. Accuracy. Purpose. Determine how reliable your information is using the CRAAP test.
Difficulty: 3/5
TIME
Varies based on the information you want to verify.
Allocate enough time to ensure you’re delivering reliable information.
Participants
Individual or in groups
Core Competency Connection
MATERIALS
- Websites
- Books
- Articles
- Etc.
PREP
N/A
The Process
Step 1: Currency
- The timeliness of the info.
- When was it published?
- Is it current or out-of-date for your topic?
Step 2: Relevance
- How the info fits your needs.
- Does it answer your question?
- Who is the intended audience?
- Could you use this source in a research paper?
Step 3: Authority
- The source of the info (publisher, journal, organization, etc.)
- What are the author/editor’s qualifications to write on the topic?
- Are any conflicts of interest present?
- Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source (i.e., .com, .edu, .gov, .org, .net)?
Step 4: Accuracy
- The reliability and correctness of the content.
- Where does the information come from? Is the information supported by evidence?
- Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
- Does the language or tone seem unbiased?
Step 5: Purpose
- The reason the info exists.
- What is the purpose of the information? To inform? Teach? Sell? Entertain? Persuade?
- Is the information fact, or opinion?
- Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional or personal biases present?
Design Hack
While Wikipedia has been known to lack information accuracy, the references listed at the end of articles can be great sources of reliable information.
Leave a Reply