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Military Science Research Guide

Contextualize with reference sources

Web Resources

Finding good web sources

How do you determine if a source you find on the web is a good one? Try the C.R.A.P. test:

Currency — How recent is the information? How recently has the website been updated? Is it current enough for your topic?

Reliability — What kind of information is included in the resource?  Is content of the resource primarily opinion?  Is it balanced?  Does the creator provide references or sources for data or quotations?

Authority — Who is the creator or author? What are their credentials? Who is the published or sponsor? Are they reputable? What is the publisher's interest (if any) in this information? Are there advertisements on the website?

Purpose/Point of View — Is this fact or opinion?  Is it biased?  Is the creator/author trying to sell you something?