Source Analysis: Learn It 1

  • Determine the suitability and trustworthiness of a source
  • Examine the criteria used in the CRAAP method
  • Use the CRAAP method to analyze the currency, relevance, authority, accuracy, and purpose of a source
  • Explain how the four moves help evaluate information
  • Evaluate websites using the four moves
  • Describe the structure and purpose of an annotated bibliography

As you gather sources for your research, you’ll need to know how to assess the validity and reliability of the materials you find.

How do you know which sources are worth using in your writing? How will you know if the sources are even good? Journalists famously cover the 5 Ws (who, what, where, when, why…and how) in their articles, and these similar questions can be used to evaluate your search results:

  • Who: Who is the author and what are his/her credentials in this topic?
  • What: Is the material primary or secondary in nature?
  • Where: Is the publisher or organization behind the source considered reputable? Does the website appear legitimate?
  • When: Is the source current or does it cover the right time period for your topic?
  • Why: Is the opinion or bias of the author apparent and can it be taken into account?
  • How: Is the source written at the right level for your needs? Is the research well-documented?

If you can answer all of these questions, you’ll understand more about the quality and usefulness of a source for your article.

Two people talking to a woman in an aggressive fashion, as if they are both trying to get her attention.
Figure 1. As you research, you’ll encounter many different voices competing for your attention. Your task as a writer is to determine which of these voices are credible, trustworthy, and suitable for your current assignment.

Remember, every source is created by individuals, organizations, or corporations with a purpose. To be a good researcher, you must assess a source’s reliability before deciding whether and how to use it.

Before deciding if and how to use a source, ask yourself:

  1. Is this source suitable? (Is it relevant to my research question?)
  2. Is this source trustworthy? (Should I believe the information it provides?)

A source can be suitable but not trustworthy, or trustworthy but not suitable.

Determining Suitability

As a researcher, your task is to determine whether a source is appropriate for your project. Ask yourself: Will it help answer my research questions, deepen my understanding, and support a compelling, well-informed essay?

Here are some reasons to include information:

  • contains facts/opinions that you need from a well-known authority or expert
  • provides illustrations or data you need
  • shows an overview to establish the context of your paper
  • shows a point of view that illustrates something you are trying to establish
  • exemplifies a clear explanation of something

Reasons to exclude information:

  • it may not be from a scholarly journal
  • it may be from a scholarly journal but be too difficult for you to understand completely
  • it may be out of date
  • it may not have the point of view you are researching
  • it may not contain any new information.
  • it may be too narrow (or too broad) in coverage

Determining Trustworthiness

To determine the trustworthiness of a source, you want to ensure that a source is current, written by an expert, accurate, and unbiased. You’ll want to consider the rhetorical context of a source, including its purpose, audience, and focus.

One excellent tool to examine both the reliability and trustworthiness of a source is the C.R.A.A.P method, which stands for:

  • 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 information
  • Purpose: The reason the information exists

Sources should always be evaluated relative to your purpose. But because there often aren’t clear-cut answers when you evaluate sources, most of the time it requires you to make inferences–educated guesses from available clues–about whether to use information from particular sources.