Evaluating Sources

Authority is Constructed and Contextual

Think critically about information – whether it’s from a blog post, a book, or a peer-reviewed journal article. Ask questions about the author(s), the purpose, and the context of the information. Recognize the value of diverse ideas and

world views.

What makes a source

authoritative?

How do you determine the credibility of a

source?

What points of view

might be missing?

Whose voice does the

information represent?

Information resources reflect their creators’ expertise and credibility, and are evaluated based on the information need

and the context in which the information will be used. Authority is constructed in that various communities may

recognize different types of authority. It is contextual in that the information need may help to determine the level of

authority required. (ACRL Framework for Information Literacy for Higher Education, 2015)

Bucknell UniversityBertrand Library Research Services, 2015

Currency Relevance AuthorityAccuracy Purpose

The CRAAP Test

Evaluating CurrencyAsking yourself these questions:

When was this published?

Where do you find that information? Why does it matter? In Science and Medicine it does!

Has this been updated? If so, when?

Where can you find that information? On a website where would it be?

Relevance of Currency Why should you care?

Evaluating RelevanceAsk yourself these questions…

Who is this written for? Is it written for an academic

audience? High school students? Middle school?

Can you understand the information presented?

Is it too sophisticated? Too simple?

Does it support your thesis?

Advice:It is OK to throw away

sources that can’t be used to support your thesis

Evaluating Authority

Who wrote this? Who is the author? Publisher? Source? Sponsor?What are their credentials or organizational affiliation?Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source? .com, .edu, .gov, .org, .net

What are their qualifications?

Do they have a reputation?A good reputation…

Do they have an agenda?Are they trying to persuade you of their opinion? Or sell you something?

Is the journal reputable?

Evaluating Accuracy

Is the information supported by evidence?

Are there citations? Are they real? Are their sources biased?

Check the Citations!

Is the language emotional or otherwise biased?

Does the source use a lot of anecdotes?

Are there a lot of typos or spelling errors? (Some companies pay by the word for articles which are published on the web, written by individuals who know nothing about the topic.)

Check the Language!

Is the information consistent with what others have written about the subject?

Evaluating Purpose

Why was this article written?

To Sell Something?

To provide an overview?

To Persuade?

To report on research or statistics?

To review a book, movie or other media?

To entertain?

Currency Relevance AuthorityAccuracy Purpose

The CRAAP Test