{"id":50683,"date":"2021-08-27T09:29:06","date_gmt":"2021-08-27T07:29:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.scribbr.nl\/?p=50683"},"modified":"2022-07-22T11:54:43","modified_gmt":"2022-07-22T09:54:43","slug":"craap-test","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.scribbr.com\/working-with-sources\/craap-test\/","title":{"rendered":"Applying the CRAAP Test & Evaluating Sources"},"content":{"rendered":"
The CRAAP test<\/strong> is a method to evaluate<\/a> the credibility of a source you are using.<\/p>\n When conducting research, it’s important to use credible sources<\/a>. They ensure the trustworthiness of your argument and strengthen your conclusions.<\/p>\n There are a lot of sources out there, and it can be hard to determine whether they are sufficiently credible, but doing so is an important information literacy<\/a> skill. To help, librarians at California State University developed the CRAAP test in 2004.<\/p>\n Here are some examples using different sources.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n While books are often considered among the most reliable sources, it is still important to pay attention to the author, publisher, and motive behind the publication.<\/p>\n Some books are commercially-motivated or sponsored, which affects their credibility. As a general rule, academic publishers and university presses are often considered credible.<\/p>\n Academic journals are one of the best resources you can turn to during your research process. They are often peer reviewed<\/a>, which means they have undergone a rigorous editing process prior to publication.<\/p>\n You can find high-quality journals via Google Scholar or your institution’s library. Your library also may have access to journals behind paywalls.<\/p>\n A few examples of databases where you can find well-regarded academic journals are: JSTOR<\/a>, EBSCO<\/a>, Sage Publications<\/a>, PubMed<\/a>, and Project Muse<\/a>.<\/p>\n News articles can be tricky to evaluate. Many news sources are eminently reliable, with long histories of fact-based and trustworthy journalism.<\/p>\n Others, however, can be heavily biased<\/strong> or targeted at a specific audience. Some are poorly-written or researched, while some are mere “clickbait” or satire, designed to mislead or entertain an audience.<\/p>\n In the age of “fake news”<\/strong>, it’s more important than ever to carefully evaluate news articles, especially those found online. News sources are often best used to situate your argument or ground your research, with more academic sources making up the “meat” of your analysis.<\/p>\n Note that letters to the editor<\/strong> and other types of opinion pieces (often called op-eds) are opinion-based by nature, and usually not credible.<\/p>\n While very common, websites are often among the most challenging to evaluate for credibility.<\/p>\n They are not subject to the peer-review or rigorous editing process that academic journals or books go through, and websites like Wikipedia<\/a> can be altered by anyone at any time.<\/p>\n While you will undoubtedly use websites in your research, exercise caution here.<\/p>\n A good first step is to take a look at the URL.<\/strong><\/p>\n Be on the lookout for native advertising<\/strong> on web sources, a sales tactic that has grown tremendously in the last few years. Native ads are designed to look and feel just like the rest of the content on the site.<\/p>\n This tricks even the most savvy of visitors into thinking they are reading a credible source, when in fact they are consuming advertising. The rise of native advertising as a source of revenue for news sources is also troubling, and diminishes their credibility.<\/p>\n The CRAAP test<\/a> is an acronym to help you evaluate the credibility<\/a> of a source you are considering using. It is an important component of information literacy<\/a>.<\/p>\n The CRAAP test has five main components:<\/p>\n A credible source<\/a> should pass the CRAAP test<\/a>\u00a0and follow these guidelines:<\/p>\n Peer review<\/strong><\/a> is a process of evaluating submissions to an academic journal. Utilizing rigorous criteria, a panel of reviewers in the same subject area decide whether to accept each submission for publication. For this reason, academic journals are often considered among the most credible sources<\/a> you can use in a research project– provided that the journal itself is trustworthy and well-regarded.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/dd>\n <\/div>\n Academic dishonesty<\/a> refers to deceitful or misleading behavior in an academic setting. Academic dishonesty can occur intentionally or unintentionally, and varies in severity.<\/p>\n It can encompass paying for a pre-written essay, cheating on an exam, or committing plagiarism<\/a>. It can also include helping others cheat, copying a friend’s homework answers, or even pretending to be sick to miss an exam.<\/p>\n Academic dishonesty doesn’t just occur in a classroom setting, but also in research and other academic-adjacent fields.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/dd>\n <\/div>\n To determine if a source is primary or secondary, ask yourself:<\/p>\n Some types of source are nearly always primary: works of art and literature, raw statistical data, official documents and records, and personal communications (e.g. letters, interviews<\/a>). If you use one of these in your research, it is probably a primary source.<\/p>\n Primary sources are often considered the most credible<\/a> in terms of providing evidence for your argument, as they give you direct evidence of what you are researching. However, it\u2019s up to you to ensure the information they provide is reliable and accurate.<\/p>\n Always make sure to properly cite your sources<\/a> to avoid plagiarism<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/dd>\n <\/div>\n <\/dl>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The CRAAP test is a method to evaluate the credibility of a source you are using. When conducting research, it’s important to use credible sources. They ensure the trustworthiness of your argument and strengthen your conclusions. There are a lot of sources out there, and it can be hard to determine whether they are sufficiently […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":133,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":""},"categories":[50208],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
Books<\/h2>\n
When evaluating a book, ask yourself:<\/h3>\n
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\nIs this the most current book available on the topic that I’m studying?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nPublishing multiple editions is a signal that the author is motivated to keep the information current.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nAre they a trusted expert in their field?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nIt should be clear what criteria the publishing house follows for editing, fact-checking, and publishing.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nThe main purpose should be to educate the reader, not to try to convince them to buy or believe something.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/figure>\nJournal articles<\/h2>\n
When evaluating a journal article, ask yourself:<\/h3>\n
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\nWho participates on each review panel should be readily available within each article.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nA quick Google Scholar<\/a> search will show you if the author has published other articles or been cited by other scholars. The function called “Cited By” can show you where the author has been cited. A high number of “Cited By” results can often be a measurement of credibility.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nHas it had to retract<\/a> many articles?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/figure>\nNews articles<\/h2>\n
When evaluating a news source, ask yourself:<\/h3>\n
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\nReputable news sources commit to fact-checking their content, issuing corrections and withdrawals if necessary, and only associating with credible journalists.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nCredible journalists commit to reporting factual information in an unbiased manner, and prescribe to a code of ethics shared within the profession.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nThe article shouldn’t favor one side of the story or one point of view, but present all sides fairly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nLinks in news articles can often be a great place to find valuable primary source material.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/figure>\nWeb sources<\/h2>\n
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When analyzing web sources, ask yourself:<\/h3>\n
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\nIf you are studying a topic that is frequently changing, such as cutting-edge research or current events, make sure that the information is up to date. If your subject is not as time-sensitive, such as history, the publication date may not matter as much. However, you should still ensure that the website is updated regularly. A website that is out-of-date is often not credible.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nWhat kinds of sources do they lead to? Are those sources credible?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nA website with a lot of ads or sponsored content could signify that it is not credible.
\nFlashy fonts, pop-ups, and a distracting layout can also be a sign that the content is not credible.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nThere should be an “About” page denoting the author’s credentials and establishing their expertise in the field. Anonymous content is generally not considered credible.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n
\nTry to stick with sources published for educational purposes. Sources attempting to sell you something or convince you of a particular point of view or course of action are not considered credible.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/figure>\n Frequently asked questions about the CRAAP test<\/h2>\n
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