Can you tell what's TRUE online?
Test your skills and learn four quick methods for verifying online information and images. Try this interactive eModule!
The Gut Test doesn't use fancy acronyms: it's about evaluating information using your first impression after skimming a site's homepage or reading some selected content.
If on your first viewing a site seems...
...then it is probably not a reliable source to use for your academic research.
If you're using this type of content in a paper or project, it should be used to underscore a different opinion or to identify an error. Always use this type of content alongside more academic sources, and identify that this information is not being used as a reliable academic source.
Courtesy of University of Waterloo
The CRAAP test is a way of thinking about sources to determine their reliability or appropriateness for your information need.
Evaluate Sources Based on the Following Criteria:
Explore the other tabs in this box to explore how to apply the above areas.
Use the link below to obtain a copy of the CRAAP Test Criteria.
Currency: The Timeliness of the information
Ask yourself the following questions as you review your source(s):
Relevance: The Importance of the information
Ask yourself the following questions as you review your source(s):
Authority: The Source of the information
Ask yourself the following questions as you review your source(s):
Accuracy: The Reliability, Truthfulness, and Correctness of the content
Ask yourself the following questions as you review your source(s):
Purpose: The Reason the information exists
Ask yourself the following questions as you review your source(s):