PSYC 212 Social Psychology (Main)

Questions to ask:

• Have you used a variety of sources?
  • Compare and contrast the information you find with several authors and and array of sources such as books, Emory dissertations, journal articles, and studies.
  • Comparing and contrasting the information will help you in identifying biases and will enhance the validity and reliability of your research.

• What are the author's qualifications and affiliation (i.e., where does the author work)? Sometimes information on the author is available within the source itself, or you may look in a research database such as Biography & Genealogy Master Index or Biography Resource Center.

• What is the source's date of publication? Is the information on your topic current?
   
• Who published it?
  • If it is a university press, the material is more likely to be scholarly.
     
• Is the information valid and well-researched?
  • That is, are the author's ideas supported with research that is documented by footnotes, a bibliography, and/or a works cited page?

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 Web sites.

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.