In your university studies and assessments it's important to use scholarly and/or credible information to support your ideas and arguments.
Use the CRAP Test to evaluate any resources you want to use in your assessments.
| Criteria |
Ask Yourself |
Example |
| Currency |
- When was the information published?
- Does currency matter for this topic?
- Is it current enough for your topic?
- When was the webpage last updated?
|
Topic: History of educational theories (older resources might be appropriate)
vs
Topic: Social media in health care (older resources might not be appropriate)
|
| Reliability |
- Who published the information?
- Is the source reputable? Is it peer reviewed?
- Does the creator provide references and are those references credible?
- Are there spelling, grammar or typographical errors?
|
A satirical news website (eg. Betoota Advocate)
vs
A not-for-profit media group sourcing content from academics and researchers (eg. The Conversation)
|
| Authority |
- Who is the creator or author? Sources without an author may be less credible
- What are their qualifications, affiliations and experience?
- Are they an expert in the field?
|
A blog article written by a self-appointed and so-called expert
vs
A peer-reviewed article written by a team of university academics
|
| Purpose |
- Why was the information published and who is the intended audience?
- Is the creator trying to sell, inform, entertain, persuade?
- Is it fact or opinion?
- Is it biased or balanced?
|
A webpage on diabetes from a pharmacy company that produces drugs to treat diabetes. (The company might have a vested interest.)
vs
Diabetes information from a government website such as the Australian Institute of Health & Welfare (AIHW). (They have no vested interest.)
|
