All information found online should be critically evaluated because there is no guarantee that it is reliable or accurate.

Use this four-part test (PDF) to determine the suitability of information you want to use. 

Currency (Is the information up-to-date?)

• How recent is the information?
• How recently has the website been updated?
  • Is the website modified regularly?
• Is the information current enough for your research?

Checklist for up-to-date information  

• Site or page date
  • Is the date of publication or last revision published (often at the bottom of the page)?
  • When was the site or page last updated?
    • Is the information out-of-date?

Reliability (Is the information trustworthy?)

• Is this web page intended for elementary or high school students?
  • If so, is it the best site to refer to when writing a university-level research paper?
• Has the information passed through any peer reviewing process?​
• Sources?
  • Has the author(s) documented his/her sources by including a reference list?
  • Is the information reproduced from another site. If so, which one?
  • If applicable, when were the sources published?

Checklist for reliable information

• Evidence of the peer review process (e.g., in an "About us" or editorial statement)
• A bibliography or reference list

Authority (Is the author credible?)

• Who is the creator or author of the website or web page
  • E.g., a recognized individual or organization/government?
• What are his/her/its credentials
  • E.g., is the individual author or organization known in the field? 
• Has the author published other material(s)?
• Does the author provide contact information (e.g., email address or phone number) in case you want to verify the information?
• Who is the publisher or sponsor?
  • Can you determine if he/she/the organization has a good reputation?

Checklist for authoritative information

• Author's credentials
  • ​Look for information about the author of the site or page. 
    • Is the author qualified to publish on this topic?
      • E.g, Can you identify the author's education and relevant professional experience?
    • Look up the author's name in the Carleton University Library catalogue or Wikipedia. 
• URL
  • ​Read the uniform resource locator (URL) carefully to determine if you are reading someone's personal page. 
    • You need to investigate the author carefully because personal pages have no publisher or domain owner to vouch for the information.
• Domain
  • ​Is the domain extension appropriate for the content? 
    • Government sites: .gov
    • Educational sites: edu
    • Nonprofit organizations: .org
• Publisher
  • ​Identify the publisher (individual or organization) of the site or page. 
    • The publisher operates the server computer from which the site or page is issued. Do you know anything about the publisher?
• "About us" links
  • ​Read the information on the site or page about the author and/or publisher. 
    • This could be under "about us," "philosophy," "background," or "bibliography" tabs.
• Page design or structure
  • ​Page design is not always an indicator of credibility but if a site or page is easy to navigate, you'll be able to assess the information more easily.

Purpose/Point of view (Is the information objective?)

• What is the purpose or point of view of the site?
  • Is the information primarily fact or opinion?
  • Does the point of view seem balanced and/or objective (e.g., presents more than one perspective)?
• What is the publisher's interest (if any) in this information? 
  • Does the site try to persuade, advocate, entertain, or sell a product?

Checklist for objective information

• "About us" links
  • ​Read the information on the site or page about the author and/or publisher. 
    • This could be under "about us" or "philosophy", "background" or "bibliography" tabs.
  • Is there advertising?
• Cross reference information
  • ​Try to verify the information by cross referencing the material. 
    • Look up some of the references in Google Scholar (through the Carleton University Library).

​

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Complete CRAP test checklist

Currency

• Site or page date
  • Is the date of publication or last revision published (often at the bottom of the page)?
  • When was the site or page last updated?

Reliability

• Evidence of the peer review process (e.g., in an "About us" or editorial statement)
• A bibliography or reference list

Authority

• Author's credentials
  • ​Look for information about the author of the site or page. 
    • Is the author qualified to publish on this topic?
      • E.g, Can you identify the author's education and relevant professional experience?
    • Look up the author's name in the Carleton University Library catalogue or Wikipedia. 
• URL
  • ​Read the uniform resource locator (URL) carefully to determine if you are reading someone's personal page. 
    • You need to investigate the author carefully because personal pages have no publisher or domain owner to vouch for the information.
• Domain
  • ​Is the domain extension appropriate for the content? 
    • Government sites: .gov
    • Educational sites: edu
    • Nonprofit organizations: .org
• Publisher
  • ​Identify the publisher (individual or organization) of the site or page. 
    • The publisher operates the server computer from which the site or page is issued. Do you know anything about the publisher?
• "About us" links
  • ​Read the information on the site or page about the author and/or publisher. 
    • This could be under "about us," "philosophy," "background," or "bibliography" tabs.
• Page design or structure
  • ​Page design is not always an indicator of credibility but if a site or page is easy to navigate, you'll be able to assess the information more easily.

Purpose/Point of view

• "About us" links
  • ​Read the information on the site or page about the author and/or publisher. 
    • This could be under "about us" or "philosophy", "background" or "bibliography" tabs.
  • Is there advertising?
• Cross reference information
  • ​Try to verify the information by cross referencing the material. 
    • Look up some of the references in Google Scholar (through the Carleton University Library).

​

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The original CRAP test is courtesy of the University of Waterloo.

More information: Evaluating Web Pages: Techniques to Apply & Questions to Ask (University of California Berkley).