Librarians are here to help.
The CRAAP test guides us through some questions to ask about a source to determine its quality.
- When was this published? Has it been updated?
- Is the information still accurate now or is it out-of-date or incomplete?
- Will this source help you understand your topic or complete your assignment?
- Does this source meet your assignment's criteria?
Authority
- Who published this? Is this a source others trust?
- Who wrote this? What are their credentials?
- Is there evidence for claims made–maybe citations?
- Can you verify the information in other places?
- Do we know or believe this information was reviewed before publication--whether by fact-checkers or through a peer-review process?
- Is this source trying to sell something? Is it intended to entertain?
- Are these opinions, based on one perspective, or facts?
- Does this source seem biased?
Tip: You can answer these questions using information from the source and the rest of the web. Don't recognize a publication or website? Google it to see what others are saying!
Some of the most credible websites are .com (New York Times, Wall Street Journal), while biased and partisan groups may have websites ending in .org. Don't only rely on the website domain (.com, .gov, .edu, or .org) to determine the credibility of the website. Lateral reading is a method used by professional fact-checkers to determine a source's credibility.
Steps for Lateral Reading:
The websites linked below fact-check information that appears in news articles and websites.