History

Use websites to find valuable evidence from authoritative resources like academic institutions, the government, other research bodies, or non-profits.

Websites have a wealth of information, but not websites are reputable or have legitimate information. If you are using the information found on the web, you must evaluate the information before using it. One way to evaluate information is with the CRAAP Test. 

When you find information, evaluate it with the CRAAP Test. The CRAAP Test is a series of questions to help researchers decide if the information they have found meets the criteria of currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose.

This is not a checklist of criteria but a way of asking yourself critical thinking questions about a source to make a decision about the site's credibility.

C: Currency
How recently has the website been updated? Is a date even included? Is the material current enough for your topic? Is it up-to-date?

R: Relevance
Is this about my topic? Is it written at the right level? Who is the audience?

A: Authority
Who is the creator/author?  What are their credentials? How is the research funded? Who is the publisher?  Is the publisher/author reputable?

A: Accuracy
Where does the information come from? Are the claims supported by evidence?

P: Purpose
Why was this written/created? Is the information fact or opinion? Is it biased? Is the author trying to sell you something?

Pro Tips:

• Ask

  • Who is telling me this?

  • How do they know it?

  • What's in it for them?

• Don't be fooled by .org, while .orgs are fairly reliable, some are not.

• Use .gov and .edu websites when you can

Watch this video for more information on the CRAAP Test

Sometimes the CRAAP test falls short of determining if a source is truthful or not. To fact check, use the Four Moves and a Habit.

Mike Caufield is the author of Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers...and Other People Who Care About Facts. This is the key publication that introduced the "Four Moves and a Habit" process.