Student Resources

This module covers the basics of evaluating resources for authority, accuracy, and other criteria.

Use lateral reading as a process to determine whether sources are credible. It is as easy as doing a quick Google search to see what others say about the publisher of the source!

Once you've determined that a source is credible, now you need to figure out whether it is useful for your particular topic. The CRAAP test can help you make sure a source fits with your topic.

CRAAP stands for:

C - Currency - How recent is the source?

R - Relevance - Is the source relevant to your topic?

A - Authority - Does the author have the authority to know what they are talking about?

A - Accuracy - Does the source provide accurate information? Look for bibliographies or works cited to see if the sources sound legitimate. Also, check to see if any part of the information can be verified in another source, such as an encyclopedia or a reference source. Look for obvious errors like misspellings and incorrect facts.

P - Purpose - What is the author's intended purpose for the source? To inform? To persuade? To sell?