Evaluating Resources

Search results should be evaluated for relevance and content.  The following criteria: currency, reliability, authority, and purpose/point of viewcan be used as guidelines for books, articles, websites, or other resources.

The following questions should be considered when evaluating any resource:

Currency:

• How recent is the information?
• How recently has the website been updated?
• Is the source current enough for your topic?
• How important is the date of the source to the topic or subject field?

Reliability:

• What kind of information is included in the source?
• Is content of the source primarily opinion? Is it balanced?
• Does the creator provide references or sources for data or quotations?

Authority:

• Who is the creator or author?
• What are his or her credentials? Is the creator or author writing about his or her field of study?
• Who is the publisher or sponsor? Is it a reputable organization?
• What is the publisher’s interest (if any) in this information?

Purpose/Point of View:

• If the resource is a website, are there advertisers/advertisements that might have a vested interest in the resource?
• Is the content fact or opinion?
• Is it biased?
• Is the creator/author in the position of trying to sell you something?

To help you remember these criteria, use the mnemonic CRAP for:

Currency

Reliability

Authority, and

Purpose/Point of view

You don’t have to answer every question to determine relevance. You will consider the appropriate questions for the type of source and the purpose of your research. As you develop experience in researching topics, evaluating resources will become easier.

More Help for Evaluating Web Sources:

Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply and Questions to Ask

http://www.lib.berkeley.edu/TeachingLib/Guides/Internet/Evaluate.html