7.6.3: Checklists
- Page ID
- 140726
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There are many checklists available to help guide you through this critical process of evaluating your sources; you may have heard of the CRA(A)P test, RADAR, Rate my Source, or something similar. All of these lists are really just devices to help novice researchers remember the criteria by which they should evaluate the information they find.
Beyond checking that your source satisfies some of the criteria suggested below, your search should also involve digging a little deeper. What can you learn from a Google search about the site, author, or publisher?
The following list is meant to be a starting point for you to develop your own internalized set of questions.
Does the author have the appropriate expertise?
Can I verify who is responsible for the information? Do they have credentials in a relevant field? If it is not a personal author, what can I determine about the organization? Are there sponsors or partners?
Is this source current enough?
Whether something is current enough will be determined by the topic and the specifics of the assignment. Also consider the publishing format of the source: is it a blog? news story? book? scholarly article?
Why did the author publish this information?
Assessing the author's motivation to publish something, or the purpose of a publication, is critical to determining the usefulness of a source. Are they trying to sell something? Provide unbiased information? Contribute to knowledge about a topic? Persuade or spread misinformation?
Does this source contain accurate information?
Does the source seem to have reliable and correct information? Are references to other, external sources offered to support claims? Does the language seem unbiased and free from spelling mistakes and other errors? Are there graphs or other visual displays of information that might be verified? Can it be confirmed with other sources or personal knowledge?
Is it relevant to my research question?
Does this source add anything new to my understanding of the topic? Does it change my perspective? Is it written at a level I can understand, or is it too technical? too basic? Who is the intended audience? Does it fulfill my assignment requirements? How will I use it?