5.3 COMPOSITION: The CRAAP Test

You have started to learn about where to find outside sources of information. You have started to learn about which types of sources are more credible than others. That’s a great start!

Soon you will have found the article that you think works well for your academic research essay. Maybe you found it online, and it looks reliable. Or maybe you found it in the library, and so you think it is reliable. However, not everything you read online is reliable. And not everything you find in the library is true. You must use your critical thinking to determine the credibility of each and every outside source of information that you want to use in your writing.

The solution? Use the CRAAP test! (NOTE: “crap” is slang for  💩 — which is what we don’t want — but “CRAAP” is an abbreviation for currency, relevancy, authority, accuracy, and purpose.)

To learn more about the CRAAP test, watch this video:

Then download this handout from the Meriam Library of the California State University, Chico, titled Evaluating Information: Applying the CRAAP Test to use throughout this term.

Practice

Now practice with this exercise; it is not graded, and you may repeat it as many times as you wish:

Video from: Wintec City Library. “The C.R.A.A.P Test.” www.youtube.com, 25 Nov. 2019, www.youtube.com/watch?v=ieaCVPu6Zec. Accessed 30 Dec. 2021.