Research Guides: ARTHIST 329 Ancient Monuments, Modern Politics: Evaluating Sources

Scholarly Journals and Evaluating Resources

Scholarly journals review submitted articles before they are published. Many professors require students to use scholarly journal articles as resources when writing research papers. Here are tips on locating scholarly journal articles and evaluating sources.

The CRAAP Test

How do you know if a source that you find is research paper quality?

Try putting it through The CRAAP Method of Evaluating Information, a series of questions developed by librarians at California State University, Chico.

This test is designed to work for all information sources, including websites.

Click here to find the complete CRAAP Test pdf - just one page!

The acronym CRAAP stands for:

Currency: The timeliness of information.
Relevance: The importance of information for your needs.
Authority: The source of the information.
Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the information content.
Purpose: The reason the information exists.

Five Criteria for Evaluating Web Pages

Evaluation of Web documents	How to interpret the basics
1. Accuracy of Web Documents Who wrote the page and can you contact him or her? What is the purpose of the document and why was it produced? Is this person qualified to write this document?	Accuracy Make sure author provides e-mail or a contact address/phone number. Know the distinction between author and Webmaster.
2. Authority of Web Documents Who published the document and is it separate from the "Webmaster?" Check the domain of the document, what institution publishes this document? Does the publisher list his or her qualifications?	Authority What credentials are listed for the authors)? Where is the document published? Check URL domain.
3. Objectivity of Web Documents What goals/objectives does this page meet? How detailed is the information? What opinions (if any) are expressed by the author?	Objectivity Determine if page is a mask for advertising; if so information might be biased. View any Web page as you would an infommercial on television. Ask yourself why was this written and for whom?
4. Currency of Web Documents When was it produced? When was it updated' How up-to-date are the links (if any)?	Currency How many dead links are on the page? Are the links current or updated regularly? Is the information on the page outdated?
5. Coverage of the Web Documents Are the links (if any) evaluated and do they complement the documents' theme? Is it all images or a balance of text and images? Is the information presented cited correctly?	Coverage If page requires special software to view the information, how much are you missing if you don't have the software? Is it free or is there a fee, to obtain the information? Is there an option for text only, or frames, or a suggested browser for better viewing?
Putting it all together Accuracy. If your page lists the author and institution that published the page and provides a way of contacting him/her and . . . Authority. If your page lists the author credentials and its domain is preferred (.edu, .gov, .org, or .net), and, . . Objectivity. If your page provides accurate information with limited advertising and it is objective in presenting the information, and . . . Currency. If your page is current and updated regularly (as stated on the page) and the links (if any) are also up-to-date, and . . . Coverage. If you can view the information properly--not limited to fees, browser technology, or software requirement, then . . . You may have a Web page that could be of value to your research!

FROM: Kapoun, Jim. "Teaching undergrads WEB evaluation: A guide for library instruction." C&RL; News (July/August 1998): 522-523.