Thinking Critically about Web Information—Applying the ... - Library

Ron E. Lewis LibraryThinking Critically about Web Information—Applying the CRAAP Test*When you search the Web, you’re going to find a lot of information…but is it credible and reliable? Use thisguide to help you determine this for yourself. Give your Web page a score based on this point system. Isyour Web source credible and reliable or is it a bunch of … ? SCORE _______Checking for C-R-A-A-P! POINTS: 0 1 2 3Currency or TimelinessHow important is it for yourtopic to have recentinformation? Science,technology, and healthinformation need to be asrecent as possible. If yes,how current is theinformation?There is no indicationof when the site wascreated or updated.The site wascreated is over 5years ago with nodate given forupdating.The site wascreated, revised orupdated within thelast 5 years. If theyare citing sources,they are alsorecent.The site was created,revised or updatedwithin the last 2years. If they areciting sources, theyare also recent.RelevanceIs this the information youneed for your topic?Consider the type ofinformation needed(primary sources orsecondary sources)statistics, history orbackground information.Authority.Locate the author orsponsor and Google thename to find out more.What else have theypublished on the topic? Arethere any credentials forthe person to establishthem as expert? Is it themain organization thatprovides information abouta topic?AccuracyAre there any sources citedfor the information?Are images/photos labeledand credited?PurposeIs the information fact oropinion? Is it stating a pointof view, promoting an idea,service or product? If youneed opinions, thenconsider the author’sauthority, their use of logicand provision of evidencefor their opinions.It mentions my topicbriefly but not muchelse. Or it isn’t thetype of information Ineed. Or it isn’tenough information.There is either noauthor, or the authoris possibly a studentor an ordinaryperson publishing onthe Web withoutexpertise. Or theorganization is notknown. Text errorsindicate the author isnot an expert.Information isprovided with noindication as towhere it comes from.The purpose of thepage is to present abiased point of view,sell or promote anidea, service orproduct. It is not afactual or balancedpoint of view. Theopinion is either notbacked up with factsor the facts aredistorted.It provides someinformation, but it’snot enough, or it’snot the right type ofinformation.Author is namedbut with nocredentials. Or theorganization is ofquestionableauthority. Webgroups can namethemselves withnames that soundlike other credibleorganizations.There is a vaguereference to theinformation source.Assumptions mustbe made as to thesource.The purpose of thepage is to sell orpromote something,but it also providessome good factualinformation. Orexpressed opinion issomewhat logicaland presents someevidence.It provides most ofwhat I need, but Istill need more oranother type ofinformation.Author is namedbut the degree ofexpertise is not thathigh.Or, theorganization, iswell-known, and butthe degree ofexpertise on thissubject is not clear.There is a generalstatement about thesource of theinformation but notenough to locate it.The purpose of thepage is to educateor to offer mostlyfactual information.Or expressedopinion is logicalpresenting enoughevidence for theopinion.It is exactly on thesubject, is the rightamount of informationand the right type ofinformation.The author’scredentials are givenand clearly indicatethat he/she is anexpert.Or the organization iswell-known and highlycredible on the topic.There is a good list ofsources that can belocated. Images/photos are labeledand sources given.The purpose of thepage is to provideinformation of ascholarly, academic orat least high quality.Evidence for opinionis factual, presentedas numbers in charts,graphs, tables, orstatistics or adequateevidence for theopinion.Score Total/Meanings: 0 to 3 pointsVery questionablesource. Don’t use.4 to 7 pointsOK for info, butdon’t cite it.8 to 11Good source touse and cite.12 to 15Excellent source touse and cite.*This rubric uses a modified version of the CRAAP Test created by Meriam Library at California State University-Chico.

Evaluation of Web pages and sites: Questions for the CRAAP test—CURRENCY/ TIMELINESS: When the information was published and the importance the date asit relates to the topic.Is currency important for your topic? Is it a science, technology, or health-related topic?When was the Web page originally published, last updated or revised?Are all of the links on the page functional? Can you determine if there is new informationon the page?REVELANCE/ COVERAGE OF THE TOPIC: The degree to which the information fulfils yourinformation need.How relevant to your topic is the information? How on-topic is it?Can you find the same or better information in another source?Is it the type of information needed? (i.e. background, detailed history, statistics, primarysource)Is there enough information or do you need to find additional information on your topic?AUTHORITY: Who is providing this information and are they a reliable source.Who is responsibility for the information on the page (the author, creator, sponsor?)Are there any author credentials given? Can you determine the author’s age, level ofexpertise, etc.Are they experts on the subject? “Google” the author or site sponsor’s nameto find out more.If there is a group or organization (called a corporate author) creating the page, establishthe group’s authority. “Google” the name. Are they a well-known, reputable organizationfor this subject? Learn about the organization on their home page. Look for “About Us” onthe home page.ACCURACY: The truthfulness and correctness of the information.Where did the information on the page come from? Did the sponsor/author of the pagecreate the information? If not, the original source should be cited on the page.Are there cited sources or links to the original source of the information?Can you verify any of the information in other independent sources or from your ownknowledge?PURPOSE: The reason the Web page/site exists, and the point of view of the author/sponsor.Is the page promoting something that might cause biases? (such as opinions, products,ideas)Is the information based on facts or is it opinion? If opinion, is it based upon logicalthinking? Is the author using good evidence for their opinion?What is the purpose of the Web site sponsoring this page? Is the domain for the site a.org (an organization), .edu (an educational site), .gov (a federal government site), .mil(a military site), .com (a commercial site), .net (a web-sponsoring site), .TV (a televisionsite)… to name the most well-known domains. Other domains describe state governmentsites (Texas government sites: state.tx.us) and sites from other countries that use thecountry abbreviation as the domain.