ACM Engage - Scholarship Stream

Evaluating your Resources - Use the CRAAP Test

Here are some questions to ask yourself about the story that you are reading in order to help you determine whether the information is accurate and true. Although this list of questions was originally developed to help you assess whether a source is relevant to your research, many of the same questions apply when you are trying to figure out if an article is fake news:

Currency

• When was the resource published or posted?
• Is this the most current version of this information available?
• Has the information been revised / updated? Is there proof of last update, publication date?

Relevance

• Who is the intended audience?
• What viewpoint does it support?
• What level is the information written at?

Authority 

• Who wrote/produced/published the resource?
• Is the source published by an academic publisher or a reputable organization?
• Is an author clearly identified? What are the author’s credentials or organizational affiliations? Is the author qualified to write on the topic?Does the url reveal anything about the source (.com, .gov, .edu, .org)?

Accuracy

• Is the information reliable? 
• Does the author use evidence?
• Has it been reviewed by other experts?
• Is the language or tone biased?
• Are there spelling or grammar mistakes?
•  

Pupose:

• Why does the resource exist? (Teach, Sell, Promote, Entertain, etc)
• Are the intentions clear?
• Are there biases present? (political, ideological, cultural, religious)
• Is the content fact or opinion?
• Does it consider various view point?

Adapted from York University Student Paper and Academic Research Kit - PARCA Test

On the Media