A vast amount of information is available to you from a wide variety of sources. Not all information is created equal however and part of your job as a scholar is to choose the information that best and most reliably helps you answer your research questions. Fortunately, there are some standard criteria you can use to help you determine if a source is really something you would feel confident in using for your finished research project. Remember ALL information must be evaluated but the evaluation process is even more critical for information you find using the World Wide Web. Anyone can publish on the WWW. There is no editor, editorial board, peer reviewed process for the "free", "visible" WWW available to anyone who has a computer and an Internet service provider. Therefore, it is critical you be aware of the basic criteria for evaluating all information plus some additional criteria that should be considered for Web information sources.
The CRAAP Test shown in the right-hand box was developed by librarians at Meriam Library, California State University Chico and is one of many on the WWW intended to help you determine if you have "good" information. The following link we found interesting; it was one of many similar resources. And remember, whether you use the CRAAP test, the CRAP checklist, the CARS checklist or whatever, make use of one that includes ALL of the criteria your instructor considers to be important.
Checklist for Evaluating Web Resources (University of Southern Maine)
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 informational content.
Purpose: The reason the information exists.