The CRAAP TestCan you separate the roses

from the manure?

Put it to the test.

The CRAAP Test

The world of internet publishing is big and largely anonymous.

Before you use a website or page as a resource for your academic assignments,or to make decisions and form opinions in your life, make sure it passes the CRAAP Test.

Look around. Literally.

The CRAAP Test

Look around. Literally.

The CRAAP Test

Ask these questions.

The CRAAP Test

Asking questions and challenging what you find online is key to determining the proper use of web sources.

Review any online source against the following criteria:

The CRAAP Test

• Can you find when the information was posted/published? • When was it last updated? • Is it ever updated? • Is this the most current version? • Do the links work?

Currency

Relevancy

• Will this help support your argument? Is it a good example?

• Will your assignment be better with this?

• Is it restating things you've already said and/or supported elsewhere?

• Does this inform your topic or thesis?

The CRAAP Test

The CRAAP Test

Authority• Who wrote or published this?• What expertise do they have?• Does the organization state their

purpose clearly and openly? Are they a subsidiary?

• Can you easily contact them?• Does the publisher have the right

to post/publish this information?

The CRAAP Test

Accuracy• Can you verify the information?• Are the means of discovering this

information made clearly available?

• Is the information presented clearly with adherence to grammar, spelling and labelling standards?

The CRAAP Test

• Does it add new knowledge to the world?

• Is this information presented with a bias? Is it objective?

• If there is an opinion presented, is it made clear?

• Goal: to teach, persuade, sell, entertain?

Purpose

Websites aren’t labelled.…so where can you find the

answers to these questions?

The CRAAP Test

“About” pageRead the self-description of publisher, authors, organization. Who are they? How do they present themselves? Do they tell you what their credentials are?

Websites aren’t labelled.…so where can you find the

answers to these questions?

The CRAAP Test

ContentStudy the words, vocabulary, images, multi-media content - do they all match up to give a cohesive message? Do they directly answer your questions?

Websites aren’t labelled.…so where can you find the

answers to these questions?

The CRAAP Test

StyleBanner, colors, logo; does this site look legitimate? Too slick? Amateurish? Outdated?

Websites aren’t labelled.…so where can you find the

answers to these questions?

The CRAAP Test

URLWhat does the internet address tell you about the site? Can you find the “parent” URL? What does the domain (ending) tell you?

.com .edu .org.ca .net.gov

.gc.ca

Websites aren’t labelled.…so where can you find the

answers to these questions?

The CRAAP Test

LinksWhich sites does this page link to – who do they affiliate themselves with? Do they match the stated information and intent of the site in question?

Websites aren’t labelled.…so where can you find the

answers to these questions?

The CRAAP Test

Site Architecture and LabellingHow is the site organized? Is the site labelled? What sections are available? Do the links work? Is there a copyright statement?

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