Research Guides: Evaluating Sources: Evaluation Tools & Rubric

Source Evaluation Rubric

This rubric can help you determine if a source is a "good" source; one that is reliable to use in your research or paper. It can help you weed out "bad" sources and defend your "good" sources to your instructor.

C.R.A.A.P.O Source Evaluation Rubric
NOTE: You may need to download the PDF to fill in the form fields electronically.

How to use this Rubric:

Enter information about the source at the top of the page, i.e. title, url, author, dates
For each line, starting with Currency, read each box from left to right and choose the one that matches your source the best
Enter the column number, 1-4 that corresponds to the box that matches your source the best in the right hand column
Once every line has a number, tally the numbers in the right hand column and write the score at the bottom of the page

The score you tally is out of 24 total points. You must determine what is the lowest score you will accept.

An acceptable score for a source to be used in a research paper for college is between 20 to 24.

C.R.A.A.P.O Source Evaluation Rubric
	ONE (1)	TWO (2)	THREE (3)	FOUR (4)
Currency	No publish date listed -- or No revisions in the last eighteen months*.	No updates in the past year*.	Updated in the last six months*.	Publish date included -- or Updated in the last three months*.
Relevancy	Content is unrelated to your topic -- and / or level is too simple / too advanced.	Content is either related and incorrect level – Or unrelated and correct level.	Content is related -- And at correct level -- But you are not comfortable using the source in your research.	Content is related -- And at correct level – And you are comfortable using the source in your research.
Authority	No author is listed -- and No contact info provided.	No author is listed – but includes contact information.	Author is listed without credentials -- You are unsure if the author is the creator of the material.	Author is listed with credentials -- Is the originator of the information-- Contact information provided
Accuracy	Information is not verifiable -- Resources not documented.	Some resources are not documented -- some links do not work*.	Most resources are documented -- links work*.	Well organized source -- Resources documented -- links work*
Purpose	A lot of advertising makes the content unclear.	Purpose is to sell, entertain, or persuade -- Source contains a lot of advertising and bias.	Purpose is to inform and teach-- Contains some advertising -- Minimal bias.	Purpose is to inform and teach -- Contains little advertising -- Bias free.
Objectivity	It is unclear what institution published and support the source.	It is unclear if author has any connection with a larger institution -- Source is .com, .org, or other generic domain type*	Source is supported by larger institution -- But some bias is apparent.	It is clear the source was published and supported by a reputable institution -- Bias free.
				TOTAL SCORE: (of possible 24)

The C.R.A.A.P. Test was created by Sarah Blakeslee (University of California at Chico, Meriam Library). With her permission, this content was based off her original text with some modification.