Philosophy: The CRAAP Test

Why can't I cite Wikipedia?

Wikipedia can be a fun and informative source to gain an introductory understanding of pop culture and historical events, but the very nature of its form - the wiki - enables anyone with an Internet connection to edit it. Wikipedia's lack of noted authors (Authority), unreliability (Accuracy), and the varying intentions & biases of each article's author (Purpose) prove that this is not a source that should be referenced in your research.

Wikipedia may help, however, in finding alternative sources to your paper. Check out the references at the bottom of each Wikipedia page for a list of websites and articles pertaining to this topic. Just don't forget to evaluate each of them by using the CRAAP method.

There's so much information out there! Are you reading reliable information or is it a bunch of...

CRAAP
Every website, book, and article you use for your paper should be evaluated by its currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose.

Currency:

• When was the information published or posted? Does it give dates?
• Does the topic you are writing about require current information or will older information suffice?
• Has the information been revised or updated?
• If it's a website, are all links working properly?

Relevance:

• Does the information answer your research question? Is it useful?
• Who is the intended audience?
• Is the information given at the appropriate level (i.e., not too basic or advanced for your needs)?
• Could you find the same or better information in another source?

Authority:

• Who is the author / publisher / source / sponsor?
• What are the author's credentials? Is the author qualified to write on this topic?
• Is there contact information for the author or publisher, such as an email address or institutional affiliation?
• If it's a website, does the URL reveal anything about the source? For example, URLs ending in .edu are used for educational institutions; .org is given to nonprofit instututions; .gov is only used by U.S. government websites.

Accuracy:

• Where does the information come from? Is it supported by evidence?
• Is there a bibliography or list of references included with the information?
• Has the information been peer-reviewed or refereed? To learn more about distinguishing between popular reading & peer-reviewed articles, please click here.
• Are there errors in spelling, punctuation or grammar?

Purpose:

• What is the purpose of the information? Is it to inform and teach? Or is the intent to sell, entertain or persuade?
• Do the authors make their intentions clear?
• Is the information provided fact or opinion?
• Does the point of view appear objective or impartial?
• Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional or personal biases?

Note of Attribution: This method has been adopted from California State University's Meriam Library.