Evaluating information
What you can learn from this page:
- Why you should evaluate your sources
- How to use the TRAAP test
- How to identify fake references and verify sources generated by AI
The TRAAP test for evaluating sources
Not everything you find will be useful, valid or accurate. You will need to be mindful and critical of the sources you use and the information in them.
The TRAAP test is one way to evaluate your sources by checking for:
- Timeliness
- Relevance
- Authority
- Accuracy
- Purpose
Refer to the infographic below for tips on how to use the TRAAP test and help to determine whether the sources you have found are reliable and appropriate for your assessment task needs.
- Identify relevant journals in your research area
- Assess the quality and suitability of the identified journals
- Check Current R&P agreements for journal and article eligibility in the identified journals
- Select your preferred journal
- Submit your article, utilising an agreement if eligible
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?
