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Media Literacy

What is the CRAAP test?

Written by Sarah Blakeslee of the University of California Chico in 2004, the CRAAP test looks to five elements to determine whether a source is reliable: currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose. The amusing mnemonic device has made it a popular strategy for teaching media and information literacy.

  • Currency: The timeliness of the information.  
    • When was the information published or posted?
    • Has the information been revised or updated?
    • Does your topic require current information, or will older sources work as well?  
    • (for online sources) Are the links functional?  
  • Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs.   
    • Does the information relate to your topic or answer your question?
    • Who is the intended audience?
    • Is the information at an appropriate level (i.e. not too elementary or advanced for your needs)?
    • Have you looked at a variety of sources before determining this is one you will use?
    • Would you be comfortable citing this source in your research paper?  
  • Authority:  The source of the information.   
    • Who is the author/publisher/source/sponsor?
    • What are the author's credentials or organizational affiliations?
    • Is the author qualified to write on the topic?
    • Is there contact information, such as a publisher or email address?  
    • (for online sources) Does the URL reveal anything about the author or source? Examples: .com; .edu; .gov; .org; .net   
  • Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness and correctness of the content.
    •  Where does the information come from?
    • 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 unbiased and free of emotion?
    • Are there spelling, grammar or typographical errors?   
  • Purpose: The reason the information exists.  
    • What is the purpose of the information? Is it to inform, teach, sell, entertain or persuade?
    • Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions or purpose clear?
    • Is the information fact, opinion or propaganda?
    • Does the point of view appear objective and impartial?
    • Are there political, ideological, cultural, religious, institutional or personal biases?  

Pros and cons of the CRAAP test

Pros

  • Thorough method to examine a single resource
  • Provides a strong framework of general questions that can be applied to multiple types of resources
  • Easy to remember

Cons

  • Test is designed only for a single resource, which can isolate the examined resource from its context and discourage the review of multiple documents at once 
  • Because the test is broad in scope, guiding questions for specific resources are not included