What you can learn from this page:
Not everything you find will be useful, valid or accurate. No matter what source you use, you should be mindful of your sources and think critically about the information in them.
The TRAAP test is one way to evaluate your sources by checking for:
Look at this infographic for tips on how to use the TRAAP test to help determine if the sources you have found are reliable and appropriate for your assessment task needs.
The TRAAP Test is a list of questions to help you evaluate the information you find. Different criteria will be more or less important depending on your situation or need.
Evaluation Criteria
Timeliness When was the information published? Does the age of the information affect the accuracy? Is there a more recent version that supports or refutes the original? Are the links functional?
Relevance Who is the intended audience? Is it pitched at a scholarly audience? Have you looked at a variety of similar sources before selecting this one? Would you be comfortable citing this source?
Authority Where did the information come from? Is the author / publisher / sponsor identified? Can their credentials be verified? Has the source been cited in other research? Do you trust the source?
Accuracy Can the information be verified in other reliable sources? Does the research contain sufficient evidence to back it up? Has it been through a peer-review process? Are there spelling or grammatical errors?
Purpose Why was this information created? Does it seek to inform, provide facts, to sell, or to persuade you of something? Is there evidence of political, religious, institutional, or personal biases? Is the information objective and impartial?
On the lands that we study, we walk, and we live, we acknowledge and respect the traditional custodians and cultural knowledge holders of these lands.
