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Nutrition and Dietetic Practice

Starting points for research in Nutrition and Dietetic Practice.

Goal

When evaluating resources, your question shouldn't be, "Is this resource good?" Instead, you should ask the more nuanced question, "Is this resource good for my research?" Specifically, "What does this resource add to my research?" The answer to that last question will determine which resources you decide to cite and how you incorporate them into your research.

Each type of resource (popular, professional, scholarly) is no better or worse than another. It just depends on how you use it in your research.

For example, a newspaper editorial (popular) written by someone about vaccines causing autism would not be a reliable source of scientific information (scholarly) regarding vaccines, but you could cite it in your research as an example of attitudes toward vaccines.

CRAP Test

The CRAP test outlines specific ways to evaluate the trustworthiness of a resource. Navigate the following tabs to see what kinds of questions you should ask yourself when evaluating a resource. Not every question will apply to a given resource, and this test is not a list of checkboxes where a resource will pass or fail if it gets a certain amount of answers "right." Use these questions as guidelines to formulate your evaluation of the resource as a whole and how you will use it in your research. Ultimately you want to answer the question, "Would you use this resource as a (trusted) reference for an assignment?"

Adapted from:
Keene Info Lit Bank’s CRAP test worksheet: http://kscinfolit.wordpress.com/2011/07/12/c-r-a-p-test-map-worksheet-and-handout/
Professor Laura Guertin’s CRAP test worksheet: http://blogs.agu.org/geoedtrek/2016/02/24/crap-test/
South Mountain Community College CRAP Test LibGuide: http://libguides.southmountaincc.edu/CRAPtest
  • When was the resource written/updated?
  • Based on your topic, is the resource current enough?
  • Is the resource’s information still relevant today?
  • What kind of information is included in the resource?
  • Based on your other research, is it accurate? Complete?
  • Is the content primarily fact, or opinion?
  • Is the information balanced, or biased?
  • Does the author provide references for quotations or data?
  • Who authored this resource? Is it a person or institution?
  • Is there a way to contact them?
  • What are the author’s credentials? Is there evidence the author is an expert?
  • Who is the publisher or sponsor of the resource?
  • Are the author or publisher/sponsor biased toward the resource’s message?
  • Why was this resource published? Is it intended to persuade, to sell something, or to inform?
  • Based on the writing style and other factors, who is the intended audience? The general public? Scholars? All of the above?
  • Are there advertisements or other types of content attached to the site where the article is published? If so, what purpose do they serve?
  • Who might benefit from a reader believing this resource?