It is always important to critically evaluate information that you are using. Sometimes this is easier to do than others. Many printed sources go through an editorial review process which means that either one person or several people agree that the information is credible before allowing it to be published. Newspaper articles, magazine articles, and scholarly journal articles all go through this process.

Just because something is published, doesn't mean you should trust it. Consider the supermarket tabloids like the Weekly World News. Certainly, that information source is suspect! Here are some other scenarios that should cause you to think more critically about what you read:

• Magazines accept advertising. Universities accept industry donations. In theory, researchers and journalists are not supposed to take this into account when conducting research or writing an article criticizing a company or a product, but it is something that you as a reader should consider as a possibility.
• Newspapers, magazines, and television stations are now often owned by large entertainment companies (for example, Time Warner owns Time Magazine, CNN, HBO, New Line Cinema, AOL, and Warner Bros., Sports Illustrated, and Warner Books). Think about that the next time you read a review of a new album, book, movie, or television show.
• Even scholarly journals are not exempt. In the last 5 years, peer review scandals and hoaxes have led to the retraction of peer-reviewed journal articles in both the sciences and the social sciences.   Most journals do not publicize article retractions so that the public is mostly unaware of the discredited work. The Retraction Watch blog tracks retracted journal articles.

Just because you find information on the Web does not mean it is automatically false NOR does it mean you can automatically trust it. It needs to be critically evaluated just like any printed source, and in some cases even MORE critically evaluated since many websites have no editor or reviewers. There are some websites which are entirely fictitious. Using reviewed sources, comparing the information you find in one source to other sources on the same topic, and corroborating information are three useful strategies for ensuring the quality of your information.

Below are some questions that can guide you through the process of thinking critically about the information source you are considering using. Keep in mind that this process may take some time. It isn't necessary to answer all the questions, but it is important that you think through them before using ANY source of information from a book, to a website to an "expert" whom you interview.

To evaluate authority:

To evaluate objectivity

To evaluate quality

To evaluate coverage & corroboration

To evaluate currency

To evaluate relevance

Evaluating websites requires many of the same skills you use for evaluating books and journal, but you want to pay special attention to the authority and credibility the sites. Here are some resources to help you develop those skills.

"The CRAAP test was developed by librarians at California State University at Chico and it gives you a good, overall set of elements to look for when evaluating a resource" (Bernnard et al., 2014, p. 73).

These are the elements of the CRAAP test with a couple of criteria (for a more extensive list, consult Chapter 5 in the LIBR 2100 textbook, The Information Literacy User's Guide.

Before you begin the CRAAP test, it is essential to be aware of our emotional response to the information we are evaluating. Our emotions can either heighten or diffuse our ability to evaluate information critically.

Currency

• When was the information published? Has it been updated?
• How frequently does the information about your topic change? (E.g., electronics, health information, computer technology versus 19th-century literature, philosophy, history)

Relevance

• Read the introduction, thesis, and conclusion of the article. Skim the webpage for keywords and concepts. Look at the index or table of contents for a book. Which parts will you use?
• Does the information relate to your research topic?

Authority

• What makes the author an expert on this subject? What are their qualifications and how can you verify that?
• Where is the author publishing? Is the source reputable?

Accuracy

• Has the information been reviewed or refereed?
• Are there references that you can find and use to verify the information?

Purpose

• Why was the information created: to inform, sell, persuade, or entertain?
• Does the information omit important facts or show bias?
• Is the information meant as satire or hoax? (These kinds of sources can look convincing!)

Bernnard, D., Bobish, G., Hecker, J., Holden, I., Hosier, A., Jacobson, T., ... Bullis, D. (2014). The information literacy user's guide: An open, online textbook. G. Bobish & T. Jacobson (Eds.). Retrieved from http://textbooks.opensuny.org/the-information-literacy-users-guide-an-open-online-textbook/

The CRAAP Test is a means of evaluating information based on:

• Currency
• Relevance
• Authority
• Accuracy
• Purpose

This video courtesy of McMaster Libraries explains each of these criteria in more detail

McMaster Libraries. (2015, January 23). How library stuff works: How to evaluate resources (the CRAAP test) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://youtu.be/_M1-aMCJHFg

The staff of the Mount Saint Vincent University Library & Archives wish to acknowledge and thank colleagues at the University of Oregon and the University of Louisville for their kind permission to copy the content from their critical evaluation guides.