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Evaluating Information

This guide provides tips for evaluating sources, focusing on web sites.

Why evaluate?

In today's world, information is readily available. With the help of a search engine, you can easily get millions of results. How do you know what is good information? What is truthful? What is correct? Remember - not everything published is accurate or useful; not everything found on the Web is unreliable or false. 

Evaluation of information is so important, because it causes you to stop and critically think about the information, source, and message. You need to think about what you are looking for and why.

Evaluating sources allows you to:

  • Find the most relevant information available for your topic.
  • Determine the credibility (or trustworthiness) of the information - the more credible the source, the more credible your argument .
  • Get expert views, opinions, and research.
  • Get rid of incorrect, outdated, or bias information. 
  • Demonstrate you understand the topic.
  • Perform a necessary part of the research process.

Better Sources = Better Research

SHIFT or CRAAP... Which one should I use?

The SIFT method is designed to help you quickly decide if you should invest more time in the source. It employs a technique called lateral reading in which you evaluate the source by leaving the site and reading about it using other trustworthy sites. This method is especially helpful in today's online environment.

The CRAAP test uses vertical reading while giving you a method to do more in-depth evaluation of the source to help determine whether you should include a source in your research or not. Be aware that it should not be used as just a checklist, but as a way to examine a source and evaluate its usefulness.

 

Why use both methods to evaluate your sources?

SIFT is meant to help you make a quick decision about whether to spend time performing a deeper evaluation of the source, especially an online source, while the CRAAP test will help you do that in-depth evaluation before you utilize the resource in your research.