Choosing the right resources to use can make a significant difference to the quality of your assignment. The CRAP (currency, reliability, authority, and purpose) test is a useful set of criteria to evaluate information found in books, journal articles, and online.
Currency
Questions to consider
- When was the information published?
- Is the information current enough for the purpose?
- Does the resource reflect current thinking and technology?
Reliability
Questions to consider
- Is the resource from an authoritative source?
- Are references provided?
- Has the resource undergone an editorial or peer review process?
Authority
Questions to consider
- Can the source be attributed properly?
- Can the author be identified?
- Is the author an expert or authority in the subject area?
Purpose
Questions to consider
- Does the resource express fact or opinion?
- Is the resource balanced and unbiased?
- Is the author selling a product or representing a sponsor?
Peer-reviewed articles
Peer-reviewed journal articles have been evaluated by other experts in the same field of research prior to being accepted for publication and are of high academic quality. Search engines have the option to only search for peer-reviewed journal articles. Databases that only search peer-reviewed sources can also be utilised.