redibility

eliability

uthority

urposeoint of view

CRAPTest

How recent is this information? How recently has it been revised?

Is it current enough for your topic?

CURRENCY

Based on your knowledge, does the information seem accurate?

Can facts, statistics, or other information be verified through other sources?

Do there appear to be errors on the page (spelling, grammar, facts)?

Did the author bother to document his or her sources and use reliable, credible sources?

Do the links work?

RELIABILITY

Who is the author? What are his or her credentials? Education? Experience? Affiliation? Does the author’s experience really qualify him or her as an expert? Does he or she offer first-hand credibility? (For instance, a Vietnam

veteran or a witness to Woodstock?)

Who actually published this page? Is this a personal page or is it part of the site belonging to a major

institution? (Clues pointing to a personal page: ~ tilde, %, users, members)

Is the page hosted by a free server like AOL, Tripod, Geocities?

AUTHORITY

But what if I can’t find any

author information?

Words and phrases to look for: About us, Who Am I, FAQs, For More,

Company Information, Profiles, Our Staff, Home

E-mail the author If you have no information other than an e-mail

link, write a polite e-mail asking for more information.

Look for Credibility Clues!

Delete characters in the address line up to the next slash mark to see if a main page offers more information about who is responsible for publishing the page you are interested in.

Truncate the URL

Go from:· http://www.statecollege.edu/history/middleages/chaucer/smith.htm· http://www.statecollege.edu/history/middleages/chaucer· http://www.statecollege.edu/history/middleages· http://www.statecollege.edu/history· http://www.statecollege.edu

Is the content primarily opinion? Or is it balanced? Does the source present a certain view or bias? Is the page affiliated with an organization that has a particular political

or social agenda? Why was this page created? To inform or explain? To persuade? To

sell? Who is the intended audience? Is it too simple? Is the page selling a product? Was the information found in a paid placement or sponsored result

from the search engine? Information is seldom neutral. Sometimes a bias is useful for

persuasive essays or debates. Understanding bias is important.

PURPOSEOINT OF VIEW:

.com

.com-commercial sites-usually this means the site’s purpose is to generate revenue in some way. Determine how they are trying to do this.

.org

•.org-organization sites-published by nonprofit organizations-read the information that describes who they are and why they are publishing this information.

Find out if they are being sponsored by other reputable organizations.

.gov

.gov -government sites- be sure that they have clearly identified who they are.

“A .gov domain name carries with it a significant level of legitimacy, trust, and authority as an official government website that is certified, verified, and recognized by the United States Government”.

http://www.inqbation.com/how-to-register-a-dot-gov-domain-name/

.edu

.edu-educational sites-be sure that they have clearly identified who they are. An educational – edu website can be written by any student with space on their college’s server. It does not mean the site is automatically reliable.

.net

.net- network infrastructure- read the information that describes who they are and why they are publishing this information.