CRAAP Test

• Currency: timeliness to event and your topic
  • When was it published?
  • Is the information current?
  • Is current information important to this topic?
• Relevance: importance of the information
  • Does it relate to your topic?
  • Who is the intended audience?
• Authority: why should I trust this author?
  • Who is the author/publisher?
  • What are his/her/their credentials?
• Accuracy: is it reliable, true, correct?
  • Has it been reviewed/refereed before being published?
  • Is it supported by evidence or facts?
  • Does it represent a valid scientific study?
• Purpose: the reason the information exists
  • Is it fact, opinion, or propaganda?
  • Are there biases?

Resources for Evaluating Sources

Verify Peer-Reviewed Sources

Look up a journal title (not an individual article title) in Ulrichsweb with the link below to verify whether the journal is peer-reviewed.

Look for this referee jersey icon in the Ulrich search results to confirm that a journal is refereed/peer-reviewed. Refereed journals use a review process in which articles are reviewed by experts and respected researches to verify the validity and value of the article to the field.