You recently read a friend’s social media posting about her daily use of vitamin D. She mentions a number of positive health benefits, ranging from improved cognition to a strengthened immune system. You’ve never heard of vitamin D but wonder about its uses. You do a quick Google search and see a few interesting sites. The first is a paid advertisement from a health and wellness clinic. The next site is a medical journal article by a doctor.

• Who are you more likely to trust with providing health information?
• Would you trust a doctor more than a friend? Why?

Writers can learn something from this example. The source of your information and the credibility of the publication and author matter. Being able to assess the reliability of a source is an integral part of the research process.

The CRAAP Test

It is important to evaluate and assess first, as not all sources are written by authoritative, knowledgeable experts.

In the last section, we discussed the different search results you might encounter when looking for information. For example, some search results will link to paid, corporate advertisements. Some of the information on these web pages may be verified and fact-checked, while other content may not be. Does this mean that this information is not credible? No. It means that it is important to be critical when assessing your sources of information.

One way to assess a source’s content is through the CRAAP test.

The CRAAP test can be applied to all sources found in your search results. Knowing that a source is reliable ensures that you have effectively evaluated your research content (Tucker & Chafe, 2018).

Let’s use the CRAAP test to assess a source.

Start by viewing the source (Colier, n.d.), then look at the table below.

Assessing Source Relevancy

A relevant source is one that is closely associated with your topic of choice. It is important to assess a source’s relevancy to ensure it aligns with your topic, research question, and purpose for writing.

To assess the relevance of a source:

• Read the source thoroughly and in its entirety.
• Read the source again and take notes.
• Look at the ideas being presented in the source.
• Identify whether the ideas presented support your own research topic.
• Identify the author’s bias, if there is one.
• Analyze the source’s content and writing critically.
  • Is it too formal or technical?
  • Is it too informal and does it contain slang?
  • Did you learn anything new after reading the information?

(Adapted from Loyola Marymount University – William H. Hannon Library, n.d. Additional information adapted from The Learning Portal, 2020)

Assessing Source Credibility and Fact Checking

Information on the internet can seem believable and authoritative. But until you assess the credibility of the information’s source, you can’t know whether its claims are complete, accurate, and true.

In the Critique chapter, you were introduced to a strategy, adapted from Michael A. Caulfield’s Web Literacy for Student Fact-Checkers (2017), that explains four steps you can take to check the credibility of a source.

View the source.

Now let’s explore those four steps in more detail.

Let’s circle back to one of the examples from the previous subtopic: the New York Times article “The Electric Car Revolution” (2017). You can read the source here.

Step 1: “Check for previous work” (Caulfield, 2017, para. 3).

The article cites a number of reputable organizations and publications to authenticate the facts being claimed. Some of the other publications cited in the article include:

• Department of Energy
• International Energy Agency
• Bloomberg New Energy Finance

Step 2: “Go upstream to the source” (Caulfield, 2017, para. 3).

We can verify the credibility of the source as the piece is published by the New York Times. The New York Times is a reputable news agency that fact-checks data and staffs writers with credentials and expertise.

Step 3: “Read laterally” (Caulfield, 2017, para. 3).

When researching online, you are probably familiar with having multiple tabs open within your computer browser. This is an example of lateral research. When verifying credibility and fact-checking data, be sure to look at what other authors and researchers are saying in regards to the source. Have multiple tabs open! Cross-check the information being presented (Younger, 2018).

The “Electric Car Revolution” (2017) article links to a number of credible, external resources through an “explore area” in the database. Some of the articles include:

• “New Environmental Clean Technologies Data Have Been Reported by Researchers at Kanagawa University (Life Cycle Emissions Assessment of Transition To Low-carbon Vehicles In Japan: Combined Effects of Banning Fossil-fueled Vehicles and Enhancing”

(Ecology, Environment & Conservation, 2020).

• “Green car sales signal the death of diesel”(The Times London, 2020).

Step 4: “Circle back” (Caulfield, 2017, para. 3).

Remember, it’s ok to get lost or confused when comparing and contrasting various opinions and sources. This is especially true when you are engaging
critically with a source. Know that once you’ve done this process once, you will be better equipped to do it again for the next source.

When reading laterally, ask:

• Are there critiques of the source?
• Are there different interpretations of the data?
• Are there opinions being presented?

Try It!

Recognize some key characteristics of searching for and identifying reliable sources in the following activity.

References

See Assess References