YouthBuild

Putting information on the Internet is fast, cheap, and can be done by anyone with an Internet connection.

If you are using a website as a source in your paper or project, you need to think critically about where that information is coming from.  You don't want to base your paper off a biased opinion or cite a website that's simply a mask for advertising. Instead, you want to find credible, up-to-date, relevant information that's written by an expert or an authority on the topic, whose claims are based in fact and supported by evidence.

To learn how to separate the good information from the not-so-good or downright bad information that you might come across online, start with the CRAAP Test.

Domain-Specific Search

When using Google, you can increase your odds of finding credible resources by using a domain-specific search to pull information from specific domains such as .gov, .org, and .edu (but you'll still have to evaluate all information your find!).

• .gov - government (Federal and state government agencies use the Web to publish legislation, census information, weather data, tax forms and many other documents)
• .org - non-profit organization (Nonprofit organizations use the Web to promote their causes. These pages are good sources to use when comparing different sides of an issue)
• .edu - educational institution (Even though a page comes from an educational institution, it does not mean the institution endorses the views published by students or faculty members)

How to Do a Domain-Specific Search

Use the CRAAP Test for Web Evaluation criteria to evaluate the two web sources below.

Which one of these sources is more credible and more appropriate to use for a paper or presentation? Why?
(Be prepared to share your answer with the class).

Use the CRAAP Test for Web Evaluation criteria to evaluate the two web sources below.

Which one of these sources is more credible and more appropriate to use for a paper or presentation? Why?
(Be prepared to share your answer with the class).

Use the CRAAP Test for Web Evaluation criteria to evaluate the two web sources below.

Which one of these sources is more credible and more appropriate to use for a paper or presentation? Why?
(Be prepared to share your answer with the class).

Use the CRAAP Test for Web Evaluation criteria to evaluate the two web sources below.

Which one of these sources is more credible and more appropriate to use for a paper or presentation? Why?
(Be prepared to share your answer with the class).

Use the CRAAP Test for Web Evaluation criteria to evaluate the two web sources below.

Which one of these sources is more credible and more appropriate to use for a paper or presentation? Why?
(Be prepared to share your answer with the class).

Use the CRAAP Test for Web Evaluation criteria to evaluate the two web sources below.

Which one of these sources is more credible and more appropriate to use for a paper or presentation? Why?
(Be prepared to share your answer with the class).

Use the CRAAP Test for Web Evaluation criteria to evaluate the two web sources below.

Which one of these sources is more credible and more appropriate to use for a paper or presentation? Why?
(Be prepared to share your answer with the class).