Research Guides: Evaluating Sources For The Academic Community: Evaluating Websites

Questions to ask...

Currency	When was the information published or posted? Has the information been revised or updated? Is the information current or out-of-date for your topic? Are the links functional or dead?
Relevance	Does the information relate to your topic or answer your research question? Who is the intended audience? Is the information written at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or too advanced for your needs) Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use?
Authority	Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor? What are the author's credentials or affiliations? What are the author's qualifications to write on this topic? Is there contact information provided, such as a publisher or email address? Does the URL reveal anything about the source? .com (commercial) .edu (educational) .gov (U.S. government .org (nonprofit organization)
Accuracy	Is the information supported by evidence? Has the information been reviewed or refereed? Can you verify any of the information in another source or from personal knowledge? Does the language or tone seem biased? Are there spelling or grammatical errors?
Purpose	What is the purpose of the information? Do the authors make their intentions or purpose clear? Is the information fact? Opinion? Propaganda? Does the point of view appear objective and impartial? Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional, or personal biases?

Currency: The timeliness of the information.

Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs.

Authority: The source of the information.

Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness and correctness of the content.

Purpose: The reason the information exists.

Compare the following two sites using the CRAAP Test.