WRT 102 - Downtown (Katherine Davis): Evaluating Sources & their Claims

What is credibility evaluation?

Credibility evaluation of a source is a stand-in for a direct evaluation of the truth of a key statement. Credibility assessment is an indirect assessment of what matters: the truth of the statement that the authors are responsible for.

When a credible source makes a statement . . .

• The author KNOWS the truth of the statement

• The author TELLS the truth as they see it, without distortion.

In evaluating credibility, there are two ultimate questions to answer, and we look for objective indicators:

• How does the author know the statement is true? Are they in a good position to do so?

• Is the author motivated/incentivized to tell the truth without distortion?

Evaluating Sources: The CRAAP Test (Benedictine University Library)

• Video introduces the Test
• The Rubric follows

Open this article and evaluate its credibility

• Think about the two big questions
• Then apply the CRAAP test