When gathering resources for an assignment, it is important to ensure that you have credible sources to use for your projects. The best way to check credibility is to evaluate your sources by using what is called the C.R.A.A.P. Test. This "test" is more of a series of questions designed to help you make sure that your sources are credible and good to use for your assignments.
The acronym C.R.A.A.P. stands for the following:
"C" is for Currency
"R" is for Relevance
"A" is for Authority
"A" is for Accuracy
"P" is for Purpose
Each part of the test helps determine a particular aspect of your source by "asking" your source a series of questions. If your source meets the right answer or the right criteria for the questions, then you have a credible source. If it does not, you will need to keep looking for something better to use.
This is the timeliness of the information. Meaning, how old or new the information in the source is. Look at your assignment instructions or ask your professor about how current your sources should be. Sometimes, you may be able to use older sources, but most of the time you will asked to find sources that have been published within the last five, ten, or even fifteen years. It depends upon your topic and your assignment instructions. So, you will need to look at publication dates to determine how old or new your source is.
Well, "ask" your source the following questions and if your source answers them in a satisfactory manner, then it could be a credible source:
This is the importance of the information for your specific needs. Or rather how close the information is to your topic or subject. This can also pertain to the uniqueness of the information and how relevant that information is for your assignment or topic.
Consider the following questions when determining the relevance of your source:
This part can help to uncover the source of the information; which means you will need to attempt to determine if the author/ editor/ producer/ etc. are credible creators of the information. Knowing who wrote the information can be crucial to determining the credibility of a source.
Think about it this way...which would you trust more? An article written by a well known scholar at a University that has worked on a study for years within a specific field OR an article written by some unknown blogger about the same study? Which one would you be more confident in having provided the right information?
Ask your source these questions to determine the credibility of the source's author or creator:
This is the reliability, truthfulness and correctness of the source's content. In other words, are you able to determine how accurate the information is in regards to your topic? This could be represented by a works cited page or bibliography. It could also be where the information was found or posted or even factual data provided by the source. Sometimes, you can also determine the accuracy of a source by how believable it is, but this doesn't always work and you may need to analyze the information further.
Try asking your source these questions to figure out how accurate the information is:
This determines the reason the information exists. Or rather, why would the source be created in the first place. This will help you to determine if there is any biases or prejudice in the source or if it a more neutral source. It can also help determine why the information is there? Such as if it is to inform, persuade, entertain, or to sell something. Information is usually created for one reason or another, and sometimes for multiple purposes.
Refer to these questions to help you determine the purpose of your source:
By using the C.R.A.A.P. Test, you can be sure that your sources are credible and meet the requirements of your assignments or information needs.