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PD HS 9th Grade Asian History Research Project: Helpful Documents

Mao's Legacy

Helpful Documents for Site/Info Evaluation

When you use information from outside a database, ie.... raw websites, wikipedia, blogs, others, you take on the responsibility of validating the work.  It is not easy.  The Moral of Story is, use a Database, they do most of the work for you.  You still have to know how and why the information is useful to you, but you can rely on the information as being more valid that a raw search .  You need at the minimum consider the following.

Evaluation Info - Applyiing the CRAAP Test

Evaluating Information – Applying the CRAAP Test

Evaluation Criteria

  • Currency: The timeliness of the information
  • Relevance: The importance of the information for your needs
  • Authority: The source of the information.
  • Accuracy: The reliability, truthfulness and correctness of the content.
  • Purpose: The reason the information exists

THE BIG QUESTION.  When all is said and done….. DOES THE RESOURCE SERVE YOUR PURPOSE?

Evaluation Info - PAARC Test

Evaluating Sources – Using the PAARC Test

Whether it is a book, journal article, ebook, or website, asking yourself a few simple questions about any source of information will help you decide if what you are looking at is authoritative. Ultimately, you’ll have to decide for yourself, but the PAARC Test :

  • Purpose: An authoritative source will have a clear, unbiased reason for existing.
  • Authorship: An authoritative source will identify its authors and their credentials.
  • Accuracy: An authoritative source will provide reliable, correct information.
  • Relevance: In addition to being authoritative, a source must also be relevant to your particular needs.
  • Currency: The timeliness of the information provided by a resource can be very important.