Finding and evaluating sources, the CRAAP test.
Finding and Evaluating Sources
In the age of information overload, the ability to find reliable sources and evaluate their credibility is one of the most important academic skills you can develop. Every day, millions of articles, blog posts, social media updates, and videos are published online. Some of this content is rigorously researched and peer-reviewed; much of it is not.
As an academic writer, you are expected to support your arguments with credible evidence. This means going beyond a simple Google search and developing a systematic approach to research.
Learning Goals for This Chapter:
- Distinguish between primary and secondary sources and know when to use each
- Navigate academic databases and library resources effectively
- Apply the CRAAP test to evaluate source reliability
- Recognize bias, misinformation, and unreliable sources
- Build a research strategy for academic projects
Understanding the difference between primary and secondary sources is fundamental to academic research.
Primary Sources are original, first-hand accounts or direct evidence. They have not been filtered through interpretation or analysis by another person.
Examples:
- Original research articles reporting new findings
- Historical documents (letters, diaries, government records)
- Literary works (novels, poems, plays)
- Interviews, speeches, and autobiographies
- Photographs, artworks, and artifacts
- Raw data and statistics from original studies
- Legal documents (constitutions, laws, court rulings)
Secondary Sources analyze, interpret, or comment on primary sources. They provide context, evaluation, or summary of existing information.
Examples:
- Textbooks and encyclopedias
- Review articles summarizing multiple studies
- Biographies
- Literary criticism and book reviews
- Documentaries
- Newspaper articles reporting on research
- Academic commentaries and analyses
When to use each:
- Use primary sources when you want to analyze original evidence directly
- Use secondary sources when you need expert analysis, context, or an overview of a field
- The strongest academic writing typically uses both types
Classify the following sources as primary or secondary, and explain why:
1. A speech by Martin Luther King Jr.
2. A textbook chapter about the Civil Rights Movement
3. Survey data collected from 500 Norwegian teenagers about social media use
4. A newspaper article summarizing the survey findings
5. George Orwell's novel 1984
6. A literary analysis essay about 1984
2. Textbook chapter about the Civil Rights Movement -- Secondary source. It interprets and summarizes events and primary sources from the period. It provides context and analysis written after the fact.
3. Survey data from 500 Norwegian teenagers -- Primary source. This is original, raw data collected directly from participants. It has not yet been interpreted by another researcher.
4. Newspaper article about the survey -- Secondary source. The journalist is interpreting and summarizing the primary data for a general audience. Their selection of which findings to highlight introduces a layer of interpretation.
*5. George Orwell's 1984 -- Primary source. As a literary work, it is the original text to be studied. Literary scholars treat novels, poems, and plays as primary sources.
6. Literary analysis essay about 1984 -- Secondary source.* The essay interprets and analyzes the primary text, offering scholarly commentary on its themes, structure, or historical context.
A researcher wants to study how Norwegian newspapers reported on the 2015 refugee crisis. Which of the following would be a PRIMARY source for this study?
Explain why the same document could be classified as either a primary or secondary source depending on the research question. Use a specific example to illustrate your answer.
The CRAAP Test was developed by librarians at California State University, Chico, as a framework for evaluating the reliability of sources. Each letter represents a criterion:
C -- Currency
- When was the source published or last updated?
- Is the information still relevant and accurate?
- For fast-changing fields (technology, medicine), recent sources are essential
- For historical or literary analysis, older sources may be perfectly valid
R -- Relevance
- Does the source address your specific research question?
- Who is the intended audience (general public, specialists, students)?
- Is the information at an appropriate level of depth?
A -- Authority
- Who is the author? What are their qualifications?
- Is the author affiliated with a reputable institution?
- Is there contact information provided?
- Has the author published other work on this topic?
A -- Accuracy
- Is the information supported by evidence?
- Can the claims be verified through other sources?
- Are there citations and references?
- Has the source been peer-reviewed?
- Are there obvious errors in facts, grammar, or spelling?
P -- Purpose
- Why does this source exist? To inform, persuade, sell, entertain?
- Is there a potential bias? Who benefits from this information?
- Is the content fact, opinion, or propaganda?
- Are alternative viewpoints acknowledged?
Rating scale: For each criterion, rate the source from 1 (unreliable) to 5 (highly reliable). A total score below 15 out of 25 suggests the source should be used with caution or avoided entirely.
Apply the CRAAP test to the following source: A blog post titled "Why Vaccines Are Dangerous" published on a personal website in 2018, written by someone who identifies themselves as a "health researcher" with no listed institutional affiliation.
Published in 2018 -- reasonably recent, but vaccine science is continually updated. No indication that the post has been updated.
R -- Relevance: 3/5
If your topic is vaccine skepticism, this could be relevant as an example of anti-vaccine rhetoric. As a source of medical information, it is not appropriate.
A -- Authority: 1/5
The author claims to be a "health researcher" but provides no credentials, institutional affiliation, or verifiable qualifications. There is no indication of medical or scientific training.
A -- Accuracy: 1/5
A personal blog is not peer-reviewed. Without checking the specific claims, the lack of institutional backing and peer review raises serious concerns. Anti-vaccine claims have been thoroughly debunked by scientific consensus.
P -- Purpose: 1/5
The purpose appears to be persuasion rather than objective information. The title ("Why Vaccines Are Dangerous") reveals a predetermined conclusion rather than an open inquiry.
Total: 8/25 -- Unreliable
This source should not be used as evidence for medical or scientific claims. However, it could be used as a primary source in an essay analyzing anti-vaccine rhetoric or misinformation.
In the CRAAP test, the "P" stands for Purpose. Which question is MOST relevant when evaluating Purpose?
Find two online sources about the same topic (e.g., climate change, artificial intelligence, or a topic of your choice). Apply the full CRAAP test to each source, rating each criterion from 1 to 5. Then write a paragraph (100-150 words) explaining which source is more reliable and why.
- Google Scholar (scholar.google.com) -- Searches across academic journals, theses, books, and conference papers
- JSTOR (jstor.org) -- Digital library of academic journals (some free access)
- PubMed (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) -- Biomedical and life sciences literature
- DOAJ (doaj.org) -- Directory of Open Access Journals
Norwegian resources:
- Oria -- The Norwegian academic library search engine
- Nasjonalbiblioteket (nb.no) -- The National Library of Norway's digital collection
- Idunn -- Scandinavian academic journals
Search tips:
- Use quotation marks for exact phrases: "climate change adaptation"
- Use AND/OR to combine terms: "social media" AND "mental health"
- Use the minus sign to exclude terms: vaccines -conspiracy
- Filter by publication date, source type, and language
- Read abstracts first to determine if a full article is worth reading
Chapter Summary: Research Skills and Sources
Key Takeaways:
1. Primary sources are original, first-hand materials (documents, data, literary texts), while secondary sources interpret or analyze primary sources.
2. The same source can be primary or secondary depending on your research question.
3. The CRAAP test (Currency, Relevance, Authority, Accuracy, Purpose) provides a systematic framework for evaluating source reliability.
4. Academic databases like Google Scholar, JSTOR, and Oria provide access to peer-reviewed, reliable sources that are far superior to general web searches.
5. Critical evaluation of sources is not optional in academic work -- it is a fundamental requirement that demonstrates intellectual rigor.
Remember: A well-researched essay is only as strong as its weakest source. One unreliable source can undermine an otherwise excellent argument.
You are writing a research essay about the effects of social media on political polarization. Describe a research strategy: (a) List three specific search terms or phrases you would use; (b) Name two databases you would search; (c) Explain whether you would prioritize primary or secondary sources, and why; (d) Describe one type of source you would avoid and why.
Which of the following is the BEST reason to use academic databases like Google Scholar instead of a regular Google search for a research essay?
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