HIST033 U.S. History II - Case Studies Resources - Larry Breslauer's Class: Researching and Evaluating Sources

An extremely important part of the research process is evaluating your sources.  With each source, you want to answer questions such as:

• Who is the author and what is their expertise, authority and background in the area they are writing on? 

• Is it current enough or is the date not important?  

• Is it reliable? What kind of information is included in the resource? Is content of the resource primarily opinion? Is it balanced?

• Does the information look accurate? How can you tell?
   
• What is the purpose of the information?  How can you tell?

Use the CRAP test below to evaluate the information you find.

Evaluating websitse can be more challenging than books or articles.  With no editorial or review process on the web, it is all the more crucial to evaluate the information you find to ensure it is credible, reliable and accurate.  For help, check out the online tutorials below:

• Evaluating Web Sites.  Tutorial from Cornell University Library
   
• Evaluating Web Pages: TEchniques to Apply & Questions to Ask.  Tutorial from the University of California at Berkeley
   

- or watch the short video from CSUF Pollack Library