With so much information available online, it is good to
remember that not all information is accurate. Taking a
critical look at the information and its source can help to
determine its validity. The CRAAP test is a commonly used
tool for this purpose. Even if you’ve seen this before, this is a
great time to review the concept and to put these ideas to
practice.
Currency: the timeliness of the information. How recently
was the information assembled and/or published? Current
guidelines, statistics, and expert recommendations are
updated regularly; we need to ensure we are looking at the
most up to date information.
Relevance: the importance of the information for your needs.
Are you the intended audience for this source? It is important
to seek reputable information, but if you are not in the
medical field you may be best served to look for information
that is not targeted to medical professionals.
Authority: the source of the information. Who has published
or authored this information, and what are their credentials?
Can you get to the original source of the article or
information, or has the original source material been
summarized or editorialized? Web addresses ending in .edu,
.gov, or .org are less likely to have commercial bias.
Accuracy: the reliability, truthfulness, and correctness of the
content. Is there evidence within the article to support the
information? Is there another legitimate source that verifies
the information? If you are learning something that is brand
new, consider searching for other sources that agree or
disagree to help you decide if the new information is
accurate.
Purpose: the reason the information exists. Is there political,
religious, or personal bias to the information? Unless you are
reading an opinion piece, you should expect the information
to be free of such biases.
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