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SOC 245: Individual and Society--Hegtvedt--Fall 2023

Evaluating Evidence

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.

Evaluating Web Sites

Q: How do you know if a Web site is a reliable source of information?

A: Ask questions.

See UC Berkeley's guide on Evaluating Web Pages.

CRAAP Test Rubric

 

Link to modified CRAAP Test Rubric - CRAAP Test originally developed by Sara Blakeslee, Meriam Library at California State University, Chico