The CRAAP
test stands for Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy and Purpose.
These 5 criteria are highly important when looking for reliable and
reasonable sources to incorporate in any kind of research paper.
- Currency asks
about the “timeliness” of the information, i.e. how recent the
information is or whether it was published during the appropriate time. Is it critical to have up-to-date information
relevant to your topic or issue? or is it better to have older materials?
- Relevancy is a criterion questioning if the information is applicable in the context you would like to use it. Does the resource cover the issue or topic you are researching, or is it just barely touch upon it?
- Authority
is another important aspect of researching information. Since nowadays,
almost anyone can publish information, in particular on the Internet,
it is essential to know the source of information. Talking about the
Internet, you have to keep an eye on the URL. If it says .org, .edu or
.gov, these sites are more reliable than the .com-sites since the facts
given are usually verified and only members and authors of this site
are allowed to publish there.
- Accuracy refers to the reliability, correctness and truthfulness of the
information distributed. This criterion focuses on the source of
information, the language and whether or not it contains certain biases
and spelling mistakes. And it is fair to say that “Accuracy” and
“Authority” are pretty similar.
- Purpose – the final principle when
selecting information from other sources concentrates on the question
“why was the information published?” for instance was the information
published to entertain, to teach, or to persuade the audience? You need to decide.
Finally,
when writing an argument paper or any kind of research paper, it is
extremely critical to screen the information available properly and not
to be distracted by biased and improperly researched information.
Additionally, be very careful when using the internet for your research
as anyone can use it as a personal platform to spread nonsense.
