Find News: Evaluating News

When you look at an information source - whether it's an article or an entertainment news story - you should evaluate its content. An easy way to do this is to run it through the CRAAP test. The CRAAP test is a list of evaluation criteria (explained below) that will ensure you are finding factual information and using relevant, timely sources.

CURRENCY

• Do I need current or historical information?  Is this the most updated source I can find? Or is this source from the proper time frame to serve as a historical resource? 
• Has this information been revised or changed since it was published?
• Bottom line: does this offer appropriately current or historical information?

RELEVANCE

• Does this information help me accomplish the purpose of my paper/work?
• Does this easily relate to my topic?
• Does this information strengthen my argument or statements?
• Bottom line: is this a source that adds value to my work? Is it worth including?

AUTHORITY

• Who is the author? What expertise do they have -- knowledge, education, experience?  
• Who is the publisher? Why have they made this information available?
• Does the author or published have any motivation or bias for their work?
• Bottom line: can you trust this author to know what they're talking about? Is this person the best source that you can find on this topic?

ACCURACY

• Is this information correct? Reliable?
• Can this information be verified in other sources?
• What methods did they use to collect this information/data? How did they draw their conclusions?
• Do they list their sources? Are these sources academic/scholarly/credible?
• Bottom line: can you trust that this information is true?

PURPOSE

• Why was this written? Why does this information exist? Why was it made public? 
• What was the writer's purpose? The publisher's purpose?
• Are there any hints of bias? Is the author up front about this bias?
• Is this information trying to persuade or influence you?
• Bottom line: understanding the purpose of the source can ensure that you do not fall prey to biased or one-sided information.

Not everything you find on a news site is news. You will also find opinion, editorial, and commentary pieces written by news staff or syndicated columnists. These articles appear in sections labeled Opinion or Editorial.

The same designation is normally included on the articles you find in databases like Academic Search Complete: