MGT 201 - Introduction to Business

Before you use a resource for an assignment, whether from a book, journal, or online source, it is important to evaluate it.

This is a quick guide to help you know what to watch for when you select your sources.

Here is an easy way to remember what to look for when evaluating the information that you find. These questions will help you assess what you might find most useful.  Does your resource pass the CRAAP test?

C.R.A.A.P. : Currency, Relevance, Accuracy, Authority, Purpose

Currency 

• Is the source I have located suitable to the project I am researching?
• Is the information appropriate for the time frame I have selected?
• If my research calls for the most recent information, does this source fit that criteria?

Relevance

• Does the source contain pertinent information?
• Is the information significant and important to what I am researching?

Accuracy

• Can I authenticate the information within this source with another source?
• Are the facts presented well documented?

Authority 

• Are the publisher, author, and others involved with the source legitimate?
• What are the credentials of the author?
• Is contact information for all involved parties easy to locate?
• Have laws of copyright and ethics been followed when presenting this material?
• Do I have enough information to properly and legally cite this information?

Purpose

• What are the creators of the item trying to accomplish?
• Is there bias or prejudice indicated?
• Is the material objective?
• Can I view the material objectively?

1. Title may/may not indicate scholarship with words in title such as “journal” or “review” or “research.”

2. Main purpose is original research or thinking.

3. Will nearly always have an abstract (descriptive summary of the research) written by the author.

4. Language of the article assumes technical background knowledge.

5. Author is usually a scholar or researcher. Usually affiliated with an academic community

6. May contain graphics, illustrations, charts, etc. as supporting evidence.

7.  Article has been evaluated by “peers” – other experts in the field who agree that the research meets standards, is original and adds to the scholarly conversation.

8.  The length of the article is usually more than 4-5 pages. Can be quite lengthy!

9. Method of study is generally acceptable within the discipline of study. The academy determines this. 

10. A scholarly article will always have a list of references used (footnotes and bibliography.)

11. Reputable scholarly articles will not heavily rely on websites, news sources, but will use previous scholarly research.

Here is a short view on the peer-review system of articles and why it is important to find articles that have this criteria.