Skip to Main Content
Lansing Community College Library

Law Resources: Evaluating Information

Use this guide to find primary and secondary law resources, including MI laws & paralegal / legal studies information.

CRAAP Test - Evaluation Criteria

Evaluate your information using the CRAAP test. Based on what you discover, go back, brainstorm, and do more research.

Currency
How new (or old) is the information? 
Is the information out of date for your topic?
Relevance
Does the information address your topic, thesis and supporting arguments? 
Is it at an appropriate level (i.e not too elementary or too advanced?)
Authority
Who wrote the information? Individual or institution? Are they credible?
Are the author's credentials or qualifications given?
Is there author's contact information?
Accuracy
Is the information consistent with other sources? 
Does the information seem biased?
Are there spelling or grammar mistakes?
Purpose
Why was the information created? To persuade? To educate? To sell something?
Do the authors/sponsors make their intentions clear?
Are there political, cultural, institutional or personal biases and opinions?

Resources for Evaluating

Learn more about evaluating information with these resources.

Different Types of Sources

News Sources

  • Reports and recounts on recent events
  • Written by journalists and editors
  • Easy language to understand
  • Post, gazette, times 

Academic Journals

  • Written by experts for other experts
  • Very specialized and technical language
  • Includes complete bibliographies and works cited
  • Often presents primary research and considered scholarly

Magazines

  • Written by journalists
  • Common language; everybody can understand and read
  • Sources maybe cited within the article; no works cited page
  • Can be published daily, weekly, or monthly formats

Trade Publications

  • Written for those who work in a specific industry
  • Not considered scholarly or popular
  • Authors can be journalists, practitioners, or academics
  • Sometimes published by trade or professional organizations

Magazines vs. Journals

Chart comparing characteristics of magazines and journals
Characteristics  Magazines Journals
Audience General Scholars, researchers or professionals. Academic or professional organizations usually publish journals.
Length & Focus Shorter articles which cover a wide range of topics. Research and current trends are broadly summarized.

Longer, in-depth articles that cover case studies and research reports and often include a list of references. Contain few photographs or advertisements.

Learn about the format of a scholarly article with Anatomy of a Scholarly Article
Review Process Reviewed by magazine editorial staff.

Before some journal articles are published, they are reviewed by an editorial board, peer reviewed or refereed. This means the contents are evaluated by others in the field prior to being published.

Learn about the peer review process with the video, Peer Review in 3 Minutes.
Examples

Rolling Stone

US News & World Report

Time

Cover of Time magazine

English Studies

Journal of the American Medical Association

Cover of the Journal of the American Medical Association

  

Methods of Evaluation

Many different methods have been developed over the last few decades to help us determine if a source of information is credible and reliable.

The pages in this box detail three common methods used for evaluating information.

 

The CRAAP Test is a checklist with questions you can ask about a source to help you evaluate.

Currency

How old or new is the information?

Relevance

Does the information address your topic, thesis, and supporting arguments?

Authority

Who wrote the information and what are their credentials? Who is responsible for the information? 

Accuracy

Is the information consistent with other sources? Does it seem bias? Are there spelling or grammar mistakes?

Purpose

Why was the information created? To persuade, educate, or sell something? 

Lateral reading helps uncover information about an organization, website, author, or publication. Instead of scrolling down on a website or checking the About Us pages, try finding out what others are saying about it.

 

The SIFT Method, developed by Mike Caulfield, is step-by-step process to help uncover the truth behind a website, image, video, or online source. 

   SIFT Method Graphics from  Chapter 17: The SIFT Method Introduction to College Research