Public Health

The CRAP test is a way to evaluate a source based on the following criteria: Currency, Reliability, Authority and Purpose/Point of View. Below are some questions to help you think about how to measure each of the criteria.

Currency –

• How recent is the information?
• How recently has the website been updated?
• Is it current enough for your topic?

Reliability –

• What kind of information is included in the resource?
• Is content of the resource primarily opinion?  Is is balanced?
• Does the creator provide references or sources for data or quotations?

Authority –

• Who is the creator or author?
• What are the credentials?
• Who is the published or sponsor?
• Are they reputable?
• What is the publisher's interest (if any) in this information?
• Are there advertisements on the website?

Purpose/Point of View –

• Is this fact or opinion?
• Is it biased?
• Is the creator/author trying to sell you something?

STEP ONE: Find background information on your topic.  A good place to start is the medicine section of the Gale Virtual Reference Library.  Read carefully the background articles on your debate topic.  Look for the main themes and points being made. Write these down as they will be the words, phrases, ideas used to search for additional information.

STEP TWO:  Use Google to search for reliable information on the topic. Critically evaluate each resource and only pick 1 of the absolute best.

Example: Search results for Ebola. 

STEP THREE: Search for scholarly articles in the library's databases.

Example: Search ProQuest Health & Medical Complete for Ebola