
Whenever you are in doubt if a book or article is scholarly, apply the criteria listed below to the work in question. This CRAAP Test will help determine if you have found a scholarly work.
The 5 criteria of the CRAAP Test:
- Currency: When was the article or content written? Is it current, timely? Is it out of date? Could the information be written in a historic context?
- Relevance: Is the information appropriate for the topic? Who is the intended audience?
- Authority: Who wrote the article? Professionals in the field? General public? What are the author's credentials?
- Accuracy: Could the magazine article information be verified through other sources?
- Purpose: Is someone trying to persuade the audience to see a point of view or opinion? Is the information provided to promote or sell a product? Is the information fact or opinion?