Molloy's Suffolk Center Library

1. Currency: Is the website current and updated regularly?
2. Relevance:  Does the information found relate to your topic?
3. Authority: What are the author's credentials? Is the author qualified to write on this    topic?
4. Accuracy: Is the information provided reliable and accurate?
5. Purpose: Are the intentions of the resources clear?  Do the points of view on the topic appear to be objective and impartial?

Using these criteria to critically view the information presented will help determine how professional, well researched and objective a website may be.  If the website that you have chosen does not meet the basic standards of the CRAAP Test, then pick a different website.

            .edu     an educational institution

            .gov     a government site

            .org       typically a non-profit organization

            .com     a commercial site

When you scan a web page, can you tell who wrote the information?  Does the author have the appropriate background and credentials to write about a certain subject? You can use the “domain” of a URL to determine what type of site you are looking at. Usually sites sponsored by government agencies, universities and colleges, and museums or other non-profit organizations are considered preferable for research. However, some .org sites or .com sites may require more thorough evaluation before you can decide to use them for your research. Therefore, one of the best ways to evaluate the content published on a website is to check the author’s credentials to see if he or she has provided a list of references that validate their credibility to write accurately on a given topic.