Use the TRAAP criteria to help determine if a resource is reliable and appropriate for your research.
Timeliness: How current is the information?
- When was this published or posted?
- Has it been updated?
- Do you need to have the most current, up-to-date information?
Relevance: Does the information meet your needs?
- Does the source meet the requirements for your assignment?
- Does the information directly relate to your topic?
- Does it help you answer questions?
- Have you compared this to other sources to find the best one?
Authority: Who is providing this information?
- Who is the author? Who is the publisher?
- Are they qualified to write about this area?
- If this is a website, what can you learn from the URL? .com, .edu, .gov, and .org all have different meanings.
Accuracy: Is the information reliable and correct?
- Is the information supported by citations or other evidence?
- Can you verify this information with another source?
- Is the author or publisher biased or unbiased?
Purpose: Why does this information exist?
- What is the purpose of this information -- to sell, to inform, to persuade, or to entertain?
- Is the information a fact or an opinion?
