CRAAP* is an acronym for remembering criteria you need to use when evaluating information.
- Currency: When was the information published or last updated?
- Relevance: Does the information answer your research questions appropriately? How does it help you? Who is the intended audience?
- Authority: Who are the authors and what are their credentials?
- Accuracy: Was the piece reviewed by editors or scholars? Is there supporting evidence? Can you verify the accuracy of the information? Is there a bibliography or list of cited sources?
- Purpose: Is the author’s purpose to sell, persuade, entertain, or inform? Is the information or author biased? Do the authors make their intentions clear?
*CRAAP acronym and descriptions created by the Meriam Library at CSU, Chico. (http://www.csuchico.edu/lins/handouts/evalsites.html)