Use websites to find valuable evidence from authoritative resources like academic institutions, the government, other research bodies, or non-profits.
Websites have a wealth of information, but not websites are reputable or have legitimate information. If you are using the information found on the web, you must evaluate the information before using it. One way to evaluate information is with the CRAP Test.
When you find information, evaluate it with the CRAP Test. The CRAP test is a series of questions to help researchers decide if the information they have found meets the criteria of currency, reliability, authority, and purpose/point of view.
This is not a checklist of criteria but a way of asking yourself critical thinking questions about a source to make a decision about the site's credibility.
C: Currency
How recently has the website been updated? Is a date even included? Is the material current enough for your topic? Is it up-to-date?
R: Reliability
What sources were included in the resource? Is the information balanced? Is it primarily opinion? Are references included (especially for quotes and data)? Is the information presented accurately?
A: Authority
Who is the creator/author? What are their credentials? How is the research funded? Who is the publisher? Is the publisher/author reputable?
P: Purpose/Point of View
Is the information fact or opinion? Is it biased? Is the author trying to sell you something?
Pro Tips:
Ask
Who is telling me this?
How do they know it?
What's in it for them?
Don't be fooled by .org, while .orgs are fairly reliable, some are not.
Mike Caufield is the author of Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers...and Other People Who Care About Facts. This is the key publication that introduced the "Four Moves and a Habit" process.
