Evaluating Sources with the CRAP Test

Summary

This tutorial outlines the CRAP criteria for evaluating the quality of sources, including Currency, Relevance, Authority, and Purpose. It emphasizes checking publication dates for currency, ensuring the source's content matches research focus for relevance, assessing the author's credibility and source reliability for authority, considering the target audience, and understanding the author's purpose and potential bias. The tutorial guides users on how to discern between informative and persuasive sources, and suggests consulting a librarian for further assistance.

Takeaways

• 📅 Currency: Check the publication date to determine if the source is up-to-date for your research needs.
• 🔍 Relevance: Assess if the source's terminology and content align with your research focus.
• 🔗 Reliability: Look for references, citations, and external links to gauge the source's credibility.
• 🏛 Authority: Evaluate the author's or organization's expertise and credibility in the subject matter.
• 🌐 Domain: Consider the website's domain extension (.edu, .gov, .org, .com, .net) to understand the source's nature.
• 👥 Audience: Determine the intended audience of the source to understand its applicability to your research.
• 🎯 Purpose: Consider the author's or organization's purpose, whether it's to inform, persuade, or sell.
• 🤔 Bias: Be aware of any potential bias or slant in the source that may affect the information presented.
• 📚 Library Catalog: Utilize library catalogs to find publication dates and other relevant information about books.
• ❓ Ask a Librarian: Seek additional help from librarians for guidance on evaluating sources using the CRAP criteria.

Q & A

What is the acronym CRAP used for in evaluating sources?

The acronym CRAP stands for Currency, Reliability and Relevance, Authority and Audience, and Purpose and Point of View, which are the criteria used to evaluate sources.

Why is the publication date important when evaluating currency?

The publication date is important to determine if the source is current and relevant to a topic, especially for current news or rapidly changing subjects.

How can you assess the relevance of a source to your research?

You can assess relevance by looking for terminology that matches your research focus and checking if the source contains the necessary information.

What are some indicators of a source's reliability?

Reliability can be indicated by the presence of references, links provided in a website, and the absence of a specific bias or slant of opinion.

How can you determine the authority of a source?

You can determine authority by checking the author's credentials, the organization behind the source, and the website's domain extension.

What is the significance of considering the target audience when evaluating a source?

Considering the target audience helps in understanding if the information is suitable for your needs, whether it's for general public, students, professionals, or another group.

How does the author's purpose and point of view affect the evaluation of a source?

The author's purpose and point of view can influence the content's objectivity. It's important to discern if the goal is to inform, sell, or persuade.

What should you do if you need further help with the CRAP test and evaluating sources?

If you need additional help, you should ask a librarian for guidance on the CRAP test and source evaluation.

Why is it important to consider the domain extension of a website when evaluating its authority?

The domain extension can indicate the type of organization behind the website, such as .edu for educational institutions, .gov for government sites, and .org for non-profits, which can reflect the credibility of the source.

How can the presence of advertisements on a website affect its credibility?

Advertisements can detract from the content's credibility if they influence the information presented, suggesting a commercial bias rather than an objective stance.

What is the difference between a persuasive source and an informative source?

A persuasive source aims to influence opinions or actions, often with a bias, while an informative source focuses on providing factual and unbiased information.

Outlines

00:00

📚 Evaluating Sources with CRAP Criteria

This paragraph introduces the importance of evaluating sources in research and presents the CRAP criteria as a mnemonic for assessing the quality of sources. CRAP stands for Currency, Relevance, Authority, and Purpose. The paragraph explains that currency is important for current topics, relevance ensures the source contains needed information, reliability is judged by references and links, authority is determined by the credibility of the author or organization, and purpose considers the author's goal and point of view. The paragraph also provides examples of how to apply these criteria to different types of sources, such as books and websites, and suggests looking at domain extensions to gauge authority.

Keywords

💡CRAP

CRAP is an acronym used in the video to help remember the criteria for evaluating sources. It stands for Currency, Reliability and Relevance, Authority, and Purpose and Point of View. This acronym is central to the video's theme of teaching viewers how to assess the quality and suitability of information sources. It serves as a mnemonic device to ensure that all important aspects of a source are considered.

💡Currency

Currency refers to the timeliness or up-to-date nature of a source. In the context of the video, it is crucial for evaluating sources, especially when researching current events or rapidly changing topics. The video suggests checking the publication date to determine currency, which is illustrated by the example of a book's publication date being listed in the library catalog.

💡Relevance

Relevance is the degree to which a source is directly related to the research topic. The video emphasizes looking for subject headings and terminology that match the research focus. It is important because it helps to ensure that the source contains the necessary information. An example from the script is using a book's record to find subject headings that describe its focus.

💡Reliability

Reliability pertains to the trustworthiness of a source. The video suggests looking for references and links within a source to assess its reliability. It also mentions considering any biases or slants in opinion, which can affect the reliability of the information presented. An example given is the presence of numerous links and references in an article, indicating a higher level of reliability.

💡Authority

Authority refers to the credibility and expertise of the author or organization behind a source. The video instructs viewers to look for evidence of the author's or organization's expertise, such as their academic or professional background. An example provided is the case of Deborah Tannen, a professor at Georgetown University, whose authority on language and communication lends credibility to her work.

💡Purpose and Point of View

Purpose and Point of View are about understanding the intentions behind a source and the perspective from which it is written. The video advises considering whether the source aims to inform, persuade, or sell something. It also suggests being aware of any ads or commercial influences that might affect the content. An example is questioning whether a website's purpose is to inform or to sell a specific diet.

💡Publication Date

The publication date is a specific detail that helps determine the currency of a source. The video explains that for current topics, a recent publication date is important, while for historical or literary research, an older publication date may still be relevant. It is used in the script to evaluate the currency of a book by checking the date listed in the library catalog.

💡Subject Headings

Subject headings are descriptors that categorize the focus of a source. The video uses subject headings as a tool for assessing relevance, suggesting that they can be found in a book's record or catalog listing. They help in quickly identifying whether a source is relevant to the research topic.

💡Bias

Bias refers to a倾向 or prejudice in the presentation of information. The video discusses the importance of recognizing bias when evaluating sources, especially when distinguishing between persuasive and informative content. It is crucial for understanding how the source's perspective might influence the information.

💡Domain Extension

Domain extensions such as .edu, .gov, .org, .com, and .net indicate the type of organization or entity that owns the website. The video uses domain extensions as a clue to the authority and potential bias of a website. For example, .edu domains are associated with academic institutions, which may be more authoritative for educational content.

💡Table of Contents

A table of contents provides an overview of the sections within a book or article. The video mentions that a table of contents can be used to assess relevance, as it gives a quick glimpse into the source's focus and organization. It is a practical tool for determining if the source contains the needed information.

Highlights

Evaluating sources is crucial for research, and the CRAP criteria (Currency, Reliability, Authority, and Purpose) can guide this process.

Currency in a source is determined by its publication date, with relevance varying by topic.

For current news topics, timeliness of the source is essential.

In historical or literary research, older sources can be as valuable as recent ones.

Relevance is assessed by the source's terminology and whether it contains needed information.

The presence of references or links can indicate a source's reliability.

Consider the source's bias or slant, which is important for persuasive arguments but less so for factual research.

Authority is determined by the credibility of the author or organization behind the source.

Website domains like .edu, .gov, .org, .com, and .net can provide clues about the source's authority.

The target audience of a source should be considered for its appropriateness.

The author's purpose and point of view are significant in evaluating a source's intent and potential bias.

Ads on a site can distract from or influence the content, affecting the source's credibility.

For a detailed evaluation, consider asking a librarian for assistance with the CRAP test.

A book's publication date in the library catalog can help determine its currency.

Subject headings in a book's record indicate its focus and relevance to your research.

A table of contents or summary can provide insight into a source's relevance.

An article with numerous links and references shows an effort to be reliable and informative.

Deborah Tannen's credentials as a professor and author lend authority to her work on language and communication.

A website with sections for different age groups indicates a consideration of its target audience.

The purpose of a website, whether to inform or sell, should be clear and align with the user's needs.

Transcripts

Evaluating sources is an important step in the research process. This tutorial explains criteria

you should use to evaulate sources, whether they are websites, library books, or articles from

library databases.

Use the acronym CRAP to remember the criteria you will use to evaluate sources.

The letters represent Currency, Reliability and Relevance, Authority and Audience, and

Purpose and Point of View.

Step 1. To evaluate a source for currency, look for the publication date. If you are researching a

current news topic, such as an upcoming election issue, timeliness is important.

If you are researching a subject such as a literary movement or history, a source that is

20 or more years old may be just as useful as a source published last year.

This book's record in the library catalog shows the publiction date after the name of the

publisher. Based on the subject and date, is this book still considered current?

Step 2. When evaluating a source for relevance, look for terminology that reflects the focus of

your research. Determine if the source contains the information you need.

For example, using the book's record, look for subject headings that describe the item's focus.

A table of contents or summary of the item might be available to read.

Step 3. Look for signs of the item's reliability. Are any references listed? If your source is a

website, are any links provided? What are the links?

Additionally, consider whether or not the source has a specific bias or slant of opinion.

Opinions are helpful if you want to construct a persuasive agrument. When you are looking for

hard facts, on the other hand, locate sources that are informative rather than persuasive.

This article has numerous links throughout its contents.

It also ends with references for additional sources.

Step 4. Determine the authority responsible for the source. Look for evidence that the author

or organization is a credible expert on the topic. Often you can find this information within the

publication itself.

Let's say that you've located an article by Deborah Tannen. If you conduct a quick search,

you will see that she is a professor at Georgetown University who has written many

books and articles about language and communication.

If you are using a website, look at the website's domain extension. Websites with .edu domains

are tied to academic institutions. United States government websites have a .gov domain.

Others to consider are .org for nonprofit organizations that may have a specific opinion

or agenda, .com for commercial organizations such as Amazon.com, and .net, which may be

a personal or local community website.

Step 5. No matter what type of source you are using, it is important to consider the target

audience. Is the information presented for the general public, for college students, or for

professionals in a specific trade or research field? Or, is it for an entirely different audience?

This particular website has sections for kids and for teenagers.

Step 6. Consideration of the author's purpose and point of view is also important in evaluating

a source. What is the author's or organization's goal in publishing the information?

Is the goal to present facts, sell a product, or persuade an audience?

Additionally, consider whether any ads present detract from the content.

Is this site's purpose merely to inform or to sell a specific diet?

For additional help on the CRAP test and evaluating sources, ask a librarian.