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Evaluating Resources: Evaluating Resources

This guide will help you learn how to evaluate the resources that you find in your research.

How do I Evaluate My Resources?

Whether your sources are from library databases or the web, you need to evaluate them for credibility. Librarians like to use the CRAAP test to evaluate resources. The test consists of 5 important criteria used to evaluate resources:

CRAAP Test

Watch this video from Western University Library to learn more about the CRAAP test!

You may also want to ask yourself the following questions:

  • What is the educational background and area of expertise of the author?
  • Have they published in other well-known publications in the field?
  • What does the author intend to accomplish?
  • Is your topic covered in enough depth?
  • What is the tone, style, vocabulary, and level of information provided in the article?
  • Is the information fact (something known to be true), opinion (thoughts of particular individuals/groups), or propaganda (information spread for a particular group/person/event/cause)?
  • Is the language objective or emotional? Does it stick to facts or try to garner an emotional response from the reader?
  • Is there enough evidence to back up the sources claims?
  • Do you need up-to-date information or historical information?
  • Are there references provided to show the research process or to lead you to other relevant materials?

Use this handout from MeL to learn more questions to ask when evaluating the trustworthiness of resources.