Applying the CRAP Test is one way to evaluate the quality and value of source (book, article, website, etc.) before you start writing.
Ask yourself these questions to determine if the source is one you should use....
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c |
Currency How recent is the information? Can you locate a date when the resource was wntten/created/dated? Based on your topic is this current enough? Why might the date matter for your topic’ |
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R |
Reliability What kind of information is included m the resource? Is the content primarily opinion? Is the information balanced or biased Does the author provide citations & references for quotations & data? |
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A |
Authority Can you determine who the author/creator is? What are their credentials (education affiliation, experience, etc.? Who is the publisher or sponsor of the work/site? Is this publisher/sponsor reputable? |
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P |
Purpose Point of View What's the intent of the article (to persuade you. to sell something, For Web resources, what is the domain (.edu, .com., etc )? How might that influence the purpose/point of view? Are there ads on the Web site or in the resource? How do they relate to the topic being covered (eg .an ad for ammunition next to an article about firearm legislation)? Is the author presenting fact or opinion? |
When you're analyzing an article, either to complete an article analysis paper or to find sources for a research paper, you want to make sure you're looking at the article from different angles by asking a variety of questions. Here are some important questions to consider.
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