1. How Much Should
You Trust It?
How to determine if a source of
information is trustworthy.

2. What does the word
“trustworthy”
mean?
With your definition of trustworthy in mind,
consider to what degree you trust the sources in
the following two scenarios.

3. Scenario 1
You were sick yesterday and missed school. A
student who frequently sleeps in class claims that
the teacher changed the test day from tomorrow
to next week? How much should you trust this
source?
A. for the most part
B. a little bit
C. not at all
What answer did you select and why? What could be a
consequence if the information this source presents is
incorrect?

4. Scenario 2
You have to write a report about a famous
scientist for science class. You find a website that
appears to have good information but is written by
a student who attends Stuyvesant High School
(one of the top schools in New York City). How
much should you trust this source?
A. for the most part
B. a little bit
C. not at all
What answer did you select and why? What could be a
consequence if the information this source presents is
incorrect?

5. The CRAP test
Consider the following to determine if an
information source is trustworthy.
 C – Currency
 R – Reliability
 A – Authority
 P – Purpose
If your source is weak in any category then the
information may be crap!

6. Currency:
How up-to-date is the source?
 Does the information source have a
publication date posted?
 When was the source created?
 When was the last update?

7. Reliability:
How accurate is the source?
 What kind of information is
included?
 How complete is the information?
 Does the information have grammar
and/or spelling errors?

8. Authority:
Who wrote the source?
What individual or group
authored the source?
What are their credentials?
Do the author(s) have first-hand
experience with the topic?

9. Purpose:
Why was the source created?
 Why did the author(s) create this
source?
 Is the information biased or relies
on stereotypes in any way?
 Does the source present mainly
facts, opinions, or propaganda?

10. CRAP SCORING GUIDE
Questions to
ask?
Observations Source
Evaluation
1 trustworthy
2 be wary
3 it’s crap
Explain your rating.
C – Currency Is the publication date
posted?
Is the information up to
date?
R – Reliability Is the information
complete?
Are there grammar or
spelling error?
A – Accuracy Who wrote the source?
Do the creator(s) have
credentials or first hand
experience about the topic?
P - Purpose Why did the author(s) create
the source?
Is the information biased or
relies om stereotypes?
Does it present mainly facts,
opinions or propaganda?

11. Practice Time
The class will be divided into groups of three. Using
the CRAP scoring guide, each group will evaluate
the trustworthiness of two information sources
found on an internet search engine.
Afterwards, each student will receive an exit slip in
which he or she will explain two attributes of a
trustworthy source and one consequence of
receiving information from unreliable sources.

12. Thank You!