Evaluating Sources
When you're selecting information to include in a college research assignment, it's important to evaluate your sources carefully. The CRAAP Test can be a useful shorthand when initially reviewing a source for inclusion in your paper.
Currency: the timeliness of the information
- When was the information published or posted?
- Has the information been revised or updated?
- Does your topic require current information, or will older sources work as well?
- If you are examining a website or online source, are the links functional?
Relevance: the importance of the information for your needs
- Is it appropriate for your purpose? (How scholarly is it?)
- How is it relevant to your topic?
- Based on the writing style, who is the intended audience?
Authority: the source of the information
- Can you determine who the author/creator is?
- What are their credentials (education, affiliation, experience, etc.)?
- Is there evidence they're experts on the subject?
- Who is the publisher or sponsor of the site? Is this publisher/sponsor reputable?
Accuracy: the reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the content
- Where did you find the source? Does that affect how much you trust thesource?
- What is the context of the information (Are there ads on a website? Are there articles on a similar topic from the same journal? Is it part of a larger resource?)
- What are the limitations of the source?
- Are there reviews or criticism of this source?
Purpose: the reason the information exists
- What's the intent of the source (to persuade, to inform, etc.)?
- Is the content primarily facts, claims or opinions? How do they support the information?
- Is the information balanced, or slanted? How can you tell?
- Does the author provide references or other information to support their claims?
Once you get an idea of whether a source is appropriate for your research, you'll want to consider how you'll use the source in your paper.
Evaluating Sources for Credibility
Video courtesy of North Carolina State University Libraries
Evaluating Books and Journal Articles
Books
Books can be good sources of information for your topic although you may need make sure that the information is current due to the amount of time it takes for books to be written and published.
- Check out the publisher. Universities and other education or research institutions are often reliable publishers.
- Pay close attention to the author and the author’s credentials.
- Is the book part of the UMass Library's collections? Remember, books that are part of the collection have been carefully reviewed and selected by librarians or requested by instructors in the subject.
Journal Articles
Journal articles can be valuable resources for your paper because they contain original research, literature reviews, and other information that has been vetted by editors and peer-reviewers. However, you should make sure that the information is accurate, current, and relevant to your research. Details to look out for include:
- Journal Title: Because journals contain information highly specific to an area of research, often the journal titles will provide a clue about the topic. For example, Music Education Research.
- Authors: Are the authors affiliated with a college/university or a research institution? Have they written articles about similar topics? A Google or Google Scholar search will help you learn more about the author and their credentials.
- Date: When was the article published? For some fields (such as nursing) it is very important to have the latest information since it can impact lives. Depending on the discipline, an article older than 3 - 5 years may be out of date.
Citing Sources
UMass Global Libraries has published an online research guide that contains basic information for creating in-text citations and reference lists according to the American Psychological Association (APA) and Modern Language Association (MLA) formats. The guide also provides links to other helpful sources of information such as the Online Writing Center and the Purdue Online Writing Lab.
Additional Resources
For more tips about evaluating sources, visit the online research guides listed below. If you need additional help, fill out the question form or make a research appointment with a librarian on the Ask A Librarian page.
