Name:

Section:
C.R.A.P. Test NOTES

Title of source being evaluated: Type the title of the article you’re evaluating

URL: Copy/paste the URL

CURRENCY (Whether the information is current enough for your topic)

When was the source published? Date can usually be found below/near article title, or at end of article

If article was updated, it will clearly state “Updated...” below/near

Has it been updated? If so, when?
article title, or at end of article
If the topic changes frequently, you’ll need a very recent source (ex:
Is this a topic that changes frequently over time? COVID-19). If the topic doesn’t change much over time, then a less
recent source is likely okay (ex: WW2, turtle reproduction).
CHECKPOINT
1. List any red flags for this section: Fill this out. It’s important to identify red flags that are present, but that doesn’t
always automatically mean you must “reject” the source. Some red flags might give you pause, but you may decide
you still want to keep assessing to see if there are more red flags in other sections.

2. Check one of the following for this section: You must actually click one of the below boxes to indicate your
selection. (Don’t worry about the fact that the word(s) get crossed out once you check the box. A checked box will still
indicate that that’s your selection for this checkpoint.)
Reject and do not use the source
Keep assessing

3. Justify your decision to reject or keep assessing: Type a couple of sentences to explain why you checked the box
you did. How did your responses to the above CURRENCY questions lead you to make this decision? If you listed any
red flags but decided to “keep assessing”, explain why these red flags weren’t enough to immediately “reject” the
source. This justification should only refer to the questions in this section (i.e. CURRENCY).

RELIABILITY/RELEVANCE
Are references provided?
Does the whole source relate to your topic, or
only part of it?
Is the info mostly balanced or mostly biased?
(Where the information comes from, and whether it applies to your topic)
References = the sources the author of the article used to write the
article. These are either listed at the end of the article OR they are
often linked within the article itself.
IMPORTANT NOTE: many sites link parts of the article to other articles
they’ve published to get you to read more of their content. This does
not count as a reference! If it looks like the article links references
within the article, you must double check by clicking on some of the
embedded links to see if it takes you to an outside source (that’s a
reference!) or if it’s just showing you additional articles published by
the same site (that’s not a reference!).
This question is allowing you to recognize if the article even relates
enough to what you’re hoping to use it for. If you’re writing about the
history of the Olympics, but the article is about the 2021 Olympics
results, this article is not relevant enough for what you need.
Biased does not equal bad! Sometimes you actually need biased
sources (i.e. when writing a persuasive essay). Think about what you’re
using the source for and whether you need a source that’s purely
objective (based on facts) or if some biases are okay. Remember, biases
are likely to appear everywhere, but the real question you need to
 consider is whether or not the source is too biased to be used or if the
bias affects how you can use the source.
CHECKPOINT
1. List any red flags for this section: Don’t forget to fill out all 3 parts of this checkpoint! And make sure your responses
here are ONLY for the RELIABILITY/RELEVANCE section.

2. Check one of the following for this section:

Reject and do not use the source
Keep assessing

3. Justify your decision to reject or keep assessing:

AUTHORITY (Whether the author is qualified to speak on this topic)

Was it a single person, multiple people,
corporation, organization?
Are author(s) credentials [qualifications]
provided?
What’s their area of expertise (based on
credentials)?
What is the domain (i.e. .com, .org, .gov, .edu)?
This question allows you to stop and pay attention to who is actually
behind the article/source in question. If there is no author, you should
look for/at the About page to gather information about the source.
Credentials allow you to determine whether the author is qualified to
write about the topic. Without the credentials, you have no way of
knowing if the author is qualified to write about the topic. Note: for
well-known news sources (i.e. New York Times, CNN, Fox News) you
should assume that the author was hired because of their
qualifications and that they’re therefore qualified to write about the
topic. Credentials are often listed at the end of the article OR
sometimes linked to the author’s name. However, always click the link
to see what shows up, as sometimes the author’s name will simply
take you to a page with a list of their previously published articles on
that site (previously published articles do NOT count as credentials).
See above.
All listed examples (to the left) are fine, but URLs that end in .net are
often sketchy.

CHECKPOINT
1. List any red flags for this section: Don’t forget to fill out all 3 parts of this checkpoint! And make sure your responses
here are ONLY for the AUTHORITY section.

2. Check one of the following for this section:

Reject and do not use the source
Keep assessing

3. Justify your decision to reject or keep assessing:

PURPOSE/POINT-OF-VIEW (The intent of the author & how they’re connected to the info)
Is the information intended to inform, persuade,
sell, entertain…?
Are there advertisements or other distractions?
This question allows you to recognize when an article/page of a
website exists for a reason that is counterproductive for your own
needs (ex: when writing an essay about the effectiveness of essential
oils in relieving stress, it would not be appropriate to use a webpage
from a site created to sell essential oils).
Advertisements are almost always present; this is how most sites make
at least some of their money. However, when there are so many ads
that the article is nearly impossible to read, this might be a sign that
the site’s main purpose is to make money instead of to publish
information.
Name:
Section:
“Vested interest” means having a personal involvement in whatever
the author is writing about, especially an involvement that leads to a
financial gain (ex: you find an article about the effectiveness of
essential oils in relieving stress, then realize the author sells these
Does the author/publisher have a vested interest essential oils). Authors who have a vested interest in the topic they’re
[something to gain or lose] in the topic? writing about are not as reliable as authors who do not have a vested
interest in the topic they’re writing about. (Note: authors who are
employed by well-known sites like Fox News or CNN don’t necessarily
have a vested interest. Yes, they’re paid a salary...but they make that
money regardless of whether you read their articles or not.)
This question allows you to recognize times when the article you’re
Could the site be ironic, like a satire or a spoof? reviewing is not meant to be factual, but has a different purpose (i.e.
satire, spoof, humor).
CHECKPOINT
1. List any red flags for this section: Don’t forget to fill out all 3 parts of this checkpoint! And make sure your responses
here are ONLY for the PURPOSE/POINT OF VIEW section.

2. Check one of the following for this section:

Reject and do not use the source
Keep assessing

3. Justify your decision to reject or keep assessing:

CONCLUSION Don’t forget to check one of the boxes below and complete the justification!
Reject this source and don’t use it
Accept this source
Justify whether you will accept or reject this source: If you decide to reject the source (i.e. not use it) be sure to discuss the
most significant red flags that led you to this conclusion. If you decide to accept the source (i.e. use it) be sure to discuss the major
parts that led you to this conclusion (i.e. discuss the article’s currency, it’s relevance to your topic, and what makes the author
qualified to write about this topic). Additionally, even if you decide to accept the source, you should still address all red flags you
listed in all four sections, and why these red flags weren’t significant enough to reject the source. Here, you should expect to write
at least a few sentences.