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Applied Community Studies Subject Guide

CARSS Evaluation For Academic Resources

Websites & Other Resources

Reputable Websites: URL suffixes can help

.org = Organizations.  These sites are mainly non-profit, cultural, ecological or advocacy groups.   For example, Greenpeace,  BC Civil Liberties Association, The David Suzuki Foundation, PBS and 350.org, use this domain suffix. Generally, the information in these types of sites is credible and unbiased, but there are examples of organizations that strongly advocate one specific point of view.  For example, some anti-abortion groups.

.com = Commercial.  The information provided for commercial purposes is going generally positive about products or services promotion.  The information may inform to a point but may be incomplete.  There's a monetary incentive behind every commercial site whether it is for good public relations or to sell you a product. 

.edu = U.S. Educational institutions.  Sites using this domain name are U.S. based schools ranging from kindergarten to higher education. Information from the departments or research centers of the educational institutions are generally taken as credible.  

gc.ca or .gov.bc.ca = Canadian government.  Canadian federal and provincial site domains (gov.bc.ca is suffix for Government of British Columbia).  All branches of the Canadian federal government use .ca.  The information is considered to be from a credible source.  .

.ca = Country of Canada domain suffix.   It is used by Canadian sites such as The Narwahl : thenarwhal.ca 

.gov =  U.S. Government. All branches of the United States federal government use this domain suffix. Information such as Census statistics, Congressional hearings, and Supreme Court rulings would be included in sites with this domain. The information is considered to be from a credible source.

.net = Network. You might find any kind of site under this domain suffix. It acts as a catch-all for sites that don't fit into any of the preceding domain suffixes. Information from these sites should be given careful scrutiny.

Truncate a URL to find out who is sponsoring a site. 

The site address can give you clues as to ultimate sponsorship of a site. If you can't determine who wrote the site or who or what is sponsoring the site, try truncating the URL to its root address. This will tell you where the site is being hosted and will help inform you of the purpose of the site and to examine the information on that site in that context.  For example, a site that is selling mineral supplements has that purpose may not be the best source for nutritional information.

Evaluating Online Resources

Evaluating Online Resources - CRAAP

You can't believe everything you read, see, or hear! Use the CRAAP test to evaluate the material you find online for your research so you avoid getting any unfit resources and all the "CRAAP" that is out there.

 


Currency refers to the timeliness of the information. A lot of information found on the web can be outdated, websites may no longer be maintained or updated. Ask the following questions when looking at a website to know if its CURRENCY is appropriate for you:

  • Is the publication date noted?
  • Is the information/publication date current for your topic? 
  • Has the website been recently updated?
  • Are the links still active and useful?
  • How old is the information being given? Is the information outdated?
  • How old is the information being cited/referenced in the resource compared to the publication date of the source?

Relevancy refers to how the information relates to your topic and whether it is an appropriate academic source. Ask the following questions to find out the RELEVANCY of your resources:

  • Does the information relate to your research topic. Does it answer the questions you are asking?
  • Who is the intended audience? Is it meant for the general public? Children? Academics?
  • Is the level of information appropriate for you?
  • Is this the best resource out there? Have you looked for other sources?

 

Authority refers to who the author(s) is for your resource. If no author is present, you need to ask who is taking responsibility for this information? Is it an organization, a company, a person, no one? Questions to ask yourself when looking at the AUTHORITY of a website:

  • Who is the author and what are their credentials? (Credentials = Are they an expert who works within the field OR an individual with a PhD or higher education on the subject OR are they an academic with affiliations to reputable institutions?)
  • Are there any organizational affiliations that may create bias?
  • Look at the domain name what does it tell you?
      .ca - Canadian based website 
      .gc.ca  OR canada.ca – Canadian federal government site
      .bc.ca – British Columbia provincial government site
      .gov – U.S. government site
      .edu – U.S. educational institution
      .com/.net/.org – no longer serve any distinction, anyone can get any of them for a fee.
 

 

Accuracy is whether or not you can ensure that the information presented is accurate and neutral. Questions to ask yourself when looking at ACCURACY:

  • Can you tell where the information comes from? Are resources cited? What type of resources are cited?
  • Is the information factual and can it be verified?
  • Are there grammatical errors or typos?
  • Has the source been reviewed by experts in the field?
  • Is it biased? Does the writer have a calm tone?
  • Does other material that you have found for your research support their claims?

 

Purpose is why the website has been created, why are they providing this information freely online. Questions to ask yourself when looking for the PURPOSE are:

  • Who is the intended audience? General public, children, academics etc.
  • Why was the site created? For education, informational, to persuade or sell something?
  • Is it fact, opinion, or propaganda?
  • Is the purpose/mission/goals clearly stated on the site?
  • Are there advertisements? If so why are they there and what are they selling?
  • Is the information presented impartial and objective?