2. Applying the C.R.A.P. Test*
When looking at possible resources consider
the following criteria:
Currency
Relevance
Authority
Purpose
* Based on the original CRAP Test created by Librarian Molly Beestrum, Dominican University
3. Currency
When was the information published or
posted?
Can you locate a date for when the
resource was written, created, or
updated?
Based on your topic, is the information
current enough?
Why might the date matter for your
topic?
4. Relevance
Does the information relate to your
topic or answer your question?
Is the information at the appropriate
level (i.e., not too elementary or
advanced)?
Who is the intended audience?
Would you be comfortable using this
source for your research?
5. Authority
Can you determine who the author/
creator is?
What are their credentials (education,
affiliation, experience, etc.)?
Who is the publisher or sponsor of the
work/site?
What qualifies the author to write about
this topic?
6. Purpose
What is the intention of the information? To
sell? Entertain? Inform? Persuade?
For web resources, how might the domain
(.com, .gov, etc.) reflect the purpose?
Is the information fact? Opinion? Propaganda?
Are there ads on the website or in the
resource? How do they relate to the topic
begin covered (i.e., an ad for ammunition next
to an article about firearm legislation)?
7. 2012
Tutorial created by
Amy Stewart-Mailhiot
and
Lee Ann Lannom (lee.ann.lannom@vanderbilt.edu)
Based on the original CRAP Test created by Librarian Molly Beestrum,
Dominican University
