When evaluating a resource for credibility and appropriateness consider these questions.
- Who is the author(s)?
- When was the source published? How current is the information?
- Is the information directly applicable to the situation at hand?
- If not, how close is it to the current situation?
- What underlying assumptions have been made in the data?
- Is there any reason to suspect bias of any sort in this data source?
- How good is the evidence given by (or cited) in the source?
- Is there any potential conflict of interest?
- Is any significant data omitted?
- Are there any other data sources which should be consulted?
- Are there conflicting potential causes for the event?
- Are there any fallacies in the reasoning?
- What reasonable conclusions are possible?
Use the CRAAP test! The CRAAP Test is a list of questions to help you evaluate the information you find. Different criteria will be more or less important depending on your situation or need.
CC BY 4.0. UCLA Library.
