Research Guides: Marketing Subject Guide: Finding & Evaluating Web Resources

CARSS Evaluating For Academic Resources

CARSS Evaluation
This documents guide you in evaluating whether a resource is a reliable academic source to use for your academic assignment.

Test your knowledge: CARSS Evaluation Method
This short quiz presents 3 sources and you will use the CARSS (Credibility, Accuracy, Reasonableness, Support, Suitability) method to evaluate them.
Test your knowledge and see how well you do!

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 A lot of information found on the web can be outdated, websites may no longer be maintained or updated.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 Is the information outdated?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?

Websites

Statista This link opens in a new window
Statista provides statistical data on many topics including media, business, politics, and society. Sources include market reports, trade publications, scientific journals, and government databases.
Business Market Research Collection This link opens in a new window
Includes Hoover's Company Profiles which does include many large international companies. US subsidiaries are often found higher in the results list than foreign parent companies - so be sure to search for the precise company name you are after: e.g., search for Royal Dutch Shell to find the Dutch parent company.

Company Profiles
Profiles of larger Canadian and US companies via the Library's "Business Source Ultimate" subscription.
SWOT Analyses
Strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of North American companies via the Library's "Business Source Ultimate" subscription.
Research and Business Intelligence
Industry sector data, financial benchmarks, labour trends and business statistics.
SEDAR
Contains Canadian securities filings and may be used to find public company profiles and annual reports.
Federally Incorporated Companies
Canadian company information.
Canadian Trade Index
Directory of manufacturers, exporters and distributors in Canada. Search by company, product description, trademark and province.
Annual Reports
Annual reports of primarily U.S. publicly traded companies.
EDGAR
Company filings with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
Fraser's Canadian Trade Directory
Search by company, product or brand name.

Corporate websites, publicly traded companies: The publicly traded corporate website can yield up useful product information, annual reports, financial statements, mission statements, code of ethics, etc. Sometimes these are distinct from a company's public-facing website, e.g., Google's Alphabet parent company site or may be a click or two down from the retail homepage, e.g., Indigo's Investor Relations / Amazon's Investor Relations pages.

Note: Privately owned companies do not have a statutory obligation to share their financials publicly. This sort of information may not be available or may be of a very select nature.

Statista This link opens in a new window
Statista provides statistical data on many topics including media, business, politics, and society. Sources include market reports, trade publications, scientific journals, and government databases.

North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Canada 2017 Industry Classifications -
Classification Codes - Include the NAICS Canada, the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) and classifications from other countries.

Industry and Market Research

Industry Reports
Industry report from all over the world accessed through Business Source Ultimate
Market Research Reports
Market Research Reports are accessible through Business Source Ultimate
Canadian Industry Statistics
Canadian And U.S. industry trends
Research and Business Intelligence
Industry sector data, financial benchmarks, labour trends and business statistics.
Overview of Industries
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,. Includes Industries at a Glance which gives profiles of major U.S. industries.
Statistics Canada
Provide information on population, demography and industry information
U.S. Economic Census
Gives economic census data by sector.
Small Business Accelerator (SBA)
Provides guides to industry-specific resources such as Clothing Retailer or Coffee Shop Business, with an emphasis on BC; sample plans and templates are also available.

BC Stats
Contains a range of economic, socio-economic and geographic information pertaining to British Columbia.
Canada's Gateway to Commercial Real Estate
Provides listings of commercial properties for lease/sale. Each listing includes demographic information for the immediate neighbourhood, which includes daytime population, number of local businesses, and household information/composition.
Data - Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada's key socio-economic database. Updated daily and provides access to a large range of statistics on Canadian economics, demographics and social series.
Census Profile
Find the latest census information for various levels of geography, including provinces, census metropolitan areas, communities and census tracts.
Statistics Canada
Statistics from Canada's national statistical agency. Organized into three broad subject areas: demographic/social, economic, and socio-economic.

Statista This link opens in a new window
Statista provides statistical data on many topics including media, business, politics, and society. Sources include market reports, trade publications, scientific journals, and government databases.

Passport This link opens in a new window
Demographic and economic data on every country in the world (with forecasts), as well as statistics, market reports, company profiles and information sources for country, market, consumer, and lifestyle profiling. This database was previously referred to as the Global Market Information Database or GMID.
Statista This link opens in a new window
Statista provides statistical data on many topics including media, business, politics, and society. Sources include market reports, trade publications, scientific journals, and government databases.
Business Source Ultimate Country Report This link opens in a new window
Provides you with an overview of countries political, economic, legal, environmental etc. structures. Click on the COUNTRY tab or enter the name of the country in the box labelled "Browse for"

Background Notes
US State Department : Provides information on geographic entities and international organizations.
BBC News Country Profiles
Full profiles provide an instant guide to history, politics and economic background of countries and territories, and background on key institutions.
Country Insights
"The Centre [for intercultural Learning] is Canada's largest provider of cross-cultural and international training services for internationally-assigned government and private sector personnel."
Country Studies
This Library of Congress site covers information regarding the culture and society of various countries
HLAS Online: Handbook of Latin American Studies
A bibliography on Latin America consisting of books, journal articles, etc. Selected by scholars; covers a range of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences.
World Factbook
Information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 266 world entities.(NOTE: Some instructors ask that you consider the information with care, as there may be a particular American bias and point of view.)