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CRAAP Test

The CRAAP Test is a easy to use set of questions to determine whether or not a resource should be used.

Authority

If there is a "most important" element of the CRAAP Test, it is Authority. Authority refers to the author(s) of the information whether it be a website or something else. The reason Authority is considered one of the most important elements of the CRAAP Test is because if you cannot trust who authored the information, you cannot really trust the information. The Internet has done a marvelous thing in allowing anyone to make public their opinions and thoughts, but that is exactly why it is important to know who you are getting your information from and why you should trust them.

Some Questions to Ask

  • Who is responsible for the content?
    • What are their credentials?
    • What makes them an expert? (Just because they have a Dr. in front of their name doesn't mean they are experts in the field they are writing about.)
    • What's their educational and occupational background?
    • Also check the publisher or site owner. They often won't allow authors to post information that doesn't fit their mission and agenda.
  • Is it published on a larger site that's affiliated with a particular institution or organization?
    • Such as a university, college, or nonprofit? (Remember, .org and .edu doesn't automatically make the information more trustworthy.)
    • What's the organization's mission? Why do they exist?
    • Are they accredited, endorsed, or affiliated with other organizations?
      • If so, what does that say about them?
  • Is there contact information available?
    • Make sure it is correct and they really exist.

It can be tough sometimes to find information about the author(s) of a website. Here are some of the best places to look to find out exactly who the author(s) are and what their purpose is. 

  • About
  • Mission Statement
  • What We Do
  • Who We Are
  • Author Bio
  • History

Make sure to verify the information you find about the author(s). Do a quick Google search to see what others are saying about them. Is there contradicting information out there? Are they being linked or used by other people and sites that may discredit them? If you find a website that you think has good information on it but the author(s) are not reputable or do a poor job presenting that information, then you should be able to find it somewhere else that is more reputable and use that other source instead.