When you do research, you want to find the best information to support your ideas. This requires careful evaluation of the information you find.

Evaluate information...

• To find the most relevant information for your topic and assignment
• To ensure the quality and reliability of your research
• To find expert views, opinions, and research on your topic
• To weed out unreliable, biased, outdated, and/or incorrect information
• To make sure you get the information your professor is seeking

The CRAAP Test

One rule of thumb for evaluating all types of sources is the CRAAP Test. This test asks you to evaluate the Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, and the Purpose of each source you consider for your project. Check out this video from Western Libraries to see how this test will help you write a great paper, not a crappy one.