Evaluating Sources: CRAAP Method
Currency – When was the resource published or updated? Does your assignment need current information?
Relevance – What is the resource about? Is it relevant to your project? What is the thesis or main idea?
Authority - Who wrote it? How are they qualified? What are their biases and perspectives?
Accuracy – Where does the information come from? Is there a bibliography or any references? Has the information been reviewed by anyone?
Purpose – What is the purpose of the information? Is the point of view objective and impartial? To inform? To persuade? To sell something?
Working in pairs, apply the CRAAP criteria to these three sources:
Ways to Use Sources - BEAM Model
Finding Sources
- JumpStart This link opens in a new window
Search our library catalog and many (but not all) of our databases simultaneously, or in any number of combinations that you select. JumpStart combines the library's catalog and about half of our online databases into a single search. Coverage: varies. Some full text.
Database List
Use the database list to identify search engines relavant to your topic and task. Consider databases beyond the obvious discipline using the Subject drop-down. Do you need specific source types like government information, encyclopedias, or data? Use the database Type drop-down to focus in on these types of sources.
Google Site Search
This is especially useful if you're looking foro government documents or reports. It allows you to search across all websites in a particular website domain, using the parts of the URL they have in common.
For example:
site:epa.gov plastic recycling
site:.gov plastic recycling
