Table 10 

The CRAP test is a way to evaluate a source based on the following criteria: Currency, Reliability, Authority and Purpose/Point of View.  Below are some questions to help you think about how to measure each of the criteria. 

    * Currency -

          o How recent is the information?  written in 2005; references were all 10 years old or older; data collected in 2001

          o How recently has the website been updated? not a web site

          o Is it current enough for your topic? yup

    * Reliability -

          o What kind of information is included in the resource? a table, an experiment, discussion, appendix, references

          o Is content of the resource primarily opinion?  Is is balanced? not opinion; research study

          o Does the creator provide references or sources for data or quotations? 

    * Authority -

          o Who is the creator or author? Group of PHds from University of Colorado Boulder Psych department

          o What are the credentials? Assumed PHDs, maybe MAs

          o Who is the published or sponsor? LEA Publishers

          o Are they reputable? Yes (scholarly journal); run database InformaWorld

          o What is the publisher's interest (if any) in this information? Falls within their subject publishing area

          o Are there advertisements on the website? N/A

    * Purpose/Point of View -

          o Is this fact or opinion? Fact based on a research study

          o Is it biased? No, it doesnt seem authors have a stake in results

          o Is the creator/author trying to sell you something? No

Annotation: